If all goes to plan, Newcastle could have one of the most feared strike forces in the Premier League.
Eddie Howe’s side are looking to add Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike to their front line this summer.
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talkSPORT understands the club have sent delegates to Germany for talks with the Bundesliga side over a deal.
Frankfurt value Ekitike at £77million, with Chelsea also showing an interest in the Frenchman.
Although Newcastle are wary their negotiations could be hijacked, the Magpies are keen to strike a deal for the 23-year-old.
The potential arrival of Ekitike is with a view for him to play alongside Toon hero Alexander Isak in attack next season.
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It would not be the first time the Frankfurt starlet has had the opportunity to be part of a goalscoring double act.
He previously combined to lethal effect with Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush prior to his move to the Etihad Stadium.
But, as German football expert Seb Stafford-Bloor pointed out on talkSPORT’s Hawskbee and Jacobs, the duo were worth far more than just goals and assists.
“They were one of the most attractive partnerships in the Bundesliga for a while,” Stafford-Bloor said.
“They had their own compound nickname, ‘HugoMar’. There was real cohesion, understanding and instinct between them, which is interesting because they were both quite similar and they both quite like to play in the same sort of areas.
“Marmoush is central with a kind of a tendency to push left. Ekitike is very much the same and yet they had an understanding whereby they didn’t take over each other’s space.
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“They’re able to dovetail. They’re able to react to what the other was doing with the ball. Some really, really wonderful moments.
“I’m guessing Newcastle fans already rushed to YouTube to find the highlights so they’ll see many of those things. But Ekitike is by no means a soloist.
“Everything that people say about his technical ability is true. He’s a wonderful, exuberant, optimistic footballer, but intelligent as well. Smart, cognizant of what his teammates are doing around him.
“The question isn’t just whether he could play with another forward, Alexander Isak, but what he could bring with other players. So runners from midfield and full-backs going outside of him.
“He really is quite complete. Not the finished article, still learning the game, but he’s a very, very broadly talented player.”
Ekitike and Marmoush appeared together on 36 occasions for Frankfurt between the latter’s initial arrival on loan in February 2024 and the Egyptian’s move to City 11 months later.
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Across those matches, they scored a combined 35 goals and directly combined for six of them.
Meanwhile, Isak is fresh from his most prolific season in a Newcastle shirt.
Last term saw the Swedish striker score 23 goals in 34 Premier League appearances.
He was also on target in the Carabao Cup final as the Magpies ended their 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.
Their opponents on that day, Liverpool, have now shown an interest of their own in Isak.
The Reds have told Newcastle they are open to signing the 25-year-old if his current club change their stance on selling him this summer, talkSPORT understands.
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Alex Crook has the latest as Liverpool make first approach to Newcastle as they consider British record move for Alexander Isak
Liverpool have indicated their willingness to pay a British record £120million for Isak, although a formal bid has yet to be placed.
Last season’s goal glut has taken the forward’s Newcastle tally to 62 goals in 109 appearances since his arrival from Real Sociedad in 2022.
