‘Genuinely interested’ – Newcastle tipped to beat West Ham to talented PSG striker in January

Newcastle reportedly remain ‘genuinely interested’ in Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike, who could leave the French giants this summer. 

Eddie Howe’s team have enjoyed a good start to the season and sit in seventh place in the Premier League table, but the manager is keen to bolster his squad in January.

It’s thought that one of Howe’s priorities for the winter transfer window is a new striker.

Newcastle already have two top players in Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, but are seriously considering bringing in a new frontman to help them push for a top-four spot in the second half of the season.

As recently revealed by TEAMtalk, on-fire Stuttgart centre-forward Serhou Guirassy is one player Newcastle have a genuine interest in, while they are also keen on Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Now, it seems that the Magpies could reignite their interest in Ekitike, who they were heavily linked with in the summer of 2022.

West Ham and Everton are also interested in the PSG star, so we could see several Premier League teams approach the striker in January.

READ MORE: Arsenal allow Newcastle to complete January midfield deal as Arteta chases ‘dream’ signing instead

Newcastle could battle West Ham for Ekitike

When Ektike signed for PSG in 2022, he was considered to be one of the most promising young talents in France. However, he has yet to live up to his potential and is struggling for minutes.

The 21-year-old made 25 league appearances for PSG last season, scoring only three goals. He has made just one league appearance this season.

New manager Luis Enrique clearly doesn’t seem to trust Ekitike, so a move away from the Parc des Princes could be the best thing for his development.

As mentioned, West Ham and other Premier League clubs are also interested in the young striker.

Transfer journalist Dean Jones believes, however, that Newcastle are the team to watch in the race for his signature.

“The situation around Ekitike is interesting because Newcastle are still genuinely interested in him.

“They had a long-standing interest in him previously, and I don’t think the fact that he didn’t choose them last time around will especially go against him or anything if they choose to pursue this avenue.

“I think that there is a concern at Newcastle about being left short in attack in the new year, and I think that they’re starting to look towards ways that they could reinvent that attack or at least bolster it up.”

“Since Ekitike is not getting game time at PSG, he’s emerging as a player they’ve got well-sourced reports on in scouting.”

Newcastle face PSG on Tuesday night in what will be a crucial decider in Group F of the Champions League, though Ekitike is very unlikely to feature.

It will be interesting to see if the Magpies do make a concrete approach for Ekitike in January.

DON’T MISS: Newcastle stand out from crowd in race to sign coveted defender with age-defying traits