Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared the latest news surrounding Hugo Ekitike’s proposed transfer to Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Newcastle’s January pursuit

In the dying hours of transfer deadline day in January, the Premier League club's deal with Reims for the 20-year-old attacker fell through. The Magpies had a £33m bid accepted for the Frenchman, drawing a long round of negotiations to a close.

However, the striker ended up changing his mind and opted to stay in Ligue 1, with the plan to reassess his options in the summer following late January interest from Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.

The Latest: Romano’s news on Ekitike

With Newcastle reigniting negotiations for Ekitike this summer, a move to St James' Park appeared to be on the cards, with reports suggesting that the Magpies were closing in on a deal for the young forward.

However, Romano has now shared a major blow in Newcastle’s pursuit of the Frenchman.

Taking to Twitter, the journalist claimed: “Again, negative feelings around Ekitike deal. NUFC definitely not happy with the situation.”

The Verdict: Huge blow for Newcastle

When looking at Ekitike’s underlying statistics, it is easy to understand the hype surrounding a potential switch to the Premier League.

When compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the Reims marksman ranks in the 99th percentile for interceptions, the 97th percentile for dribbles completed and the 93rd percentile for non-penalty goals (via FBRef).

Whilst these figures are incredibly impressive, reports have suggested that Ekitike’s agent has been making ‘ridiculous’ demands.

Whilst Newcastle are keen on signing the striker, they ought not to be bowing to unrealistic requests. Therefore, this move seems highly unlikely given the current situation.