(Football news) Stade Reims have confirmed they have reached an agreement with PSG for the sale of striker Hugo Ekitike, but they also revealed that the French champions are paying less than what Newcastle were offering them. Ekitike was on the verge of joining Newcastle in the January transfer window, but the move fell through on deadline day. The Magpies returned for the 20-year-old forward this summer and he was subsequently Eddie Howe's top transfer target, but he ultimately agreed to a dream move to PSG.

Newcastle refused to agree to terms with the player's agent and revealed they backed away from the transfer because of excessive demands. PSG on the other hand pushed ahead with a deal for Ekitike after failing to agree terms with Sassuolo for striker Gianluca Scamacca – who is looking like he is going to West Ham Reims have believed to agree a fee worth €30m plus add-ons, which is less than the Newcastle offer they had agreed, worth around €40m. Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle all showed interest in the attacker. Newcastle were actively pursuing the forward who can play anywhere in the front three, as reports claimed they came close to signing Ekitike in January and this summer, but were unable to get a deal over the line.

Ekitike only made his Ligue 1 debut in the 2020-21 campaign when he featured against Lorient, then went on to feature against Montpellier a week later. In the next January transfer window, he joined  Danish side Vejle on loan, where he scored three goals in 11 appearances. His big breakthrough came last season, when he took on a key role in the Reims squad. A hamstring injury and plenty of suspensions limited him to just 23 appearances in the French top-flight, but he ended the season with 10 goals. Luis Campos was the key to the deal as he wanted the player to join since Scamacca asking price was steep, with Ekitike in the squad Gaitler will mostly likely use him as a second striker in the team

Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot explained that although the fee PSG have offered is lower than Newcastle's, they could not stand in Ekitike's way. “We didn't quite reach the sum offered by Newcastle but Hugo Ekitike has always been respectful towards the club," Caillot confirmed to l'Union. "We are happy to allow him to fulfil his dream."

Also read: Hugo Ekitike joins Newcastle for a reported fee of £35m