Newcastle United may have a clear run at Reims striker Hugo Ekitike after a report from The Northern Echo's Scott Wilson. 

The lowdown

Newcastle have been trying to sign the young forward since the January transfer window.

They agreed a fee with Reims 'on the evening before the deadline' but Ekitike opted to wait until the summer to decide on his future (via The Athletic).

The 20-year-old made 23 Ligue 1 appearances for the mid-table outfit last season, scoring ten times.

The latest

Wilson reports that Borussia Dortmund, who also possess an interest in Ekitike, have submitted a bid for Ajax striker Sebastien Haller. If the €33million (£28.3million) offer is accepted, then it will end their pursuit of Ekitike.

'Finally', he says, the 'end game' for Dan Ashworth and PIF is close.

The verdict

For now, Dortmund may be a more attractive proposition than Newcastle.

The Toon's owners may have the ambition to compete for Premier League and Champions League titles, but that project is still in its nascent stages.

Dortmund, by contrast, are already in Europe's elite club competition and will hope to push reigning champions Bayern Munich for next year's Bundesliga title after finishing runner-up in 21/22.

And so, had Edin Terzic's side matched Newcastle's offer for Ekitike, the player may have leaned towards a move to Signal Iduna Park.

But assuming there's a deal to be done for Haller, it looks like Newcastle may receive the green light.

They should be very excited to land a rising star who averaged a goal every 123 minutes in the French top-flight last term.

In other news, Newcastle have held meetings over another possible signing.