Newcastle in talks for “one of the best STs out there”

Newcastle United are confident that they will keep Alexander Isak in the squad this summer, but a new striker is being chased all the same.

Eddie Howe wants more firepower in the attacking third, with Callum Wilson ageing and out of contract, and William Osula, 21, drifting through his maiden year as a Magpie.

Well, The Telegraph understand talks with Brighton & Hove Albion are on the brink of kicking off for the transfer of Joao Pedro, who is valued at £60m and who the Seagulls are willing to sell this summer.

Newcastle open talks for sought-after star

Pedro, 23, is proven in the Premier League and has the dynamic faculties to complement Isak, rather than outright replace him. However, there may be an even bigger fish Howe could add to the Tyneside pond.

As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Newcastle have held talks with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, putting their name in the hat as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all tussle for the striker’s signature.

Ekitike might be the talk of the town, but it doesn’t seem like any suitor would be willing to meet the Bundesliga club’s €100m (£85m) valuation of the 22-year-old. Saying that, the player’s entourage have informed the relevant parties that a reduced figure may yet be agreed.

Newcastle agreed an initial £26m deal to sign Ekitike when he was at Stade de Reims way back in 2022, but he rejected their interest when Paris Saint-Germain came calling.

What Hugo Ekitike would bring to Newcastle

Newcastle might have felt the force of Ekitike’s rejection in the past, but he was a teenager who had been presented with a proposal to remain in his homeland with the cream of Ligue 1’s crop.

PSG didn’t work out for him, only scoring four times across 33 senior showings before being rehoused in Germany with Frankfurt, but it’s here where the striker has found his feet, with his first full campaign at the club ending with 22 goals and 12 assists across all competitions.

His displays have actually led analyst Ben Mattinson to praise him as “one of the best strikers out there.”

As far as Pedro’s concerned, Ekitike is the superior player, and if Bailey’s on the money (quite literally) with his claims that Frankfurt’s £85m demands might be slashed, putting every effort into convincing the Frenchman feels like a no-brainer.

Hugo Ekitke vs Joao Pedro (24/25)
Stats (per 90)	Ekitike	Pedro
Goals scored	0.53	0.46
Assists	0.28	0.28
Shots taken	4.00	1.94
Shot-creating actions	3.55	3.33
Touches (att pen)	6.88	5.64
Progressive passes	1.86	3.60
Progressive carries	3.27	3.05
Successful take-ons	1.83	1.34
Ball recoveries	3.06	2.73
Tackles + interceptions	0.81	1.16
All data via FBref

As you can see, the two forwards are matched up rather well, but Ekitike clearly has the edge, outperforming his South American counterpart across most relevant metrics.

Indeed, should you strip away Pedro’s penalties in the Premier League last season, he would rank among the bottom 21% of the division’s forwards for goals scored per 90.

Oh, Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard has praised the Brighton man’s “magical” ability on the ball, but Ekitike might just be ‘Europe’s most elegant striker’, so say the Bundesliga, in any case.

But the proof is in the pudding, and Frankfurt’s number nine passes the eye test, all right. There’s a certain lightness to his dribbling, with an underlying creativity that would see him hit the ground running on English pitches, in Howe’s system.

Pedro is a talented footballer, but Ekitike is simply that bit better, and Newcastle have got to aim for the stars as they go from strength to strength.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig believes Ekitike “could reach world-class striker levels.” Pedro is a talented guy, but is the same scale of potential also applicable to him?

This is a tough case, with Frankfurt proving stubborn in their appraisal of the striker and rival interest against top-drawer outfits making PIF’s task difficult.

But just imagine if they pull it off; it would remind the footballing world that there’s a new superpower on the block.