'Huge potential' - Newcastle have £25m bid accepted for France U20 forward Hugo Ekitike - reports

Newcastle have had a £25m bid rising to £33m accepted for Reims striker Hugo Ekitike, according to reports. The France U20 forward has scored eight goals in 18 Ligue 1 appearances this season and has three assists. Ad/> Newcastle are strengthening their squad for a relegation battle and he would follow Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood into the club should the Magpies complete the transfer.

Premier LeagueNewcastle complete signing of exciting Brazil international Guimaraes from Lyon19 HOURS AGO Reims' reserves coach Franck Chalençon told Eurosport France that Ekitike is a player with «huge potential». Transfer Deadline Day LIVE Done Deals across Europe «Very young, we saw a huge potential, something natural, with a feeling for scoring a goal,» Chalençon said. «He's a very clever player which has seen him to adapt and understand the expectations of professional football.

»His main quality? His instinct for goal. It's very rare that Hugo plays a game without creating a chance himself at any occasion. «In front of the goal, his ratio is excellent.

But he's not only a striker, he can play on the wing, too. Very technical. He knows what to do with the ball, when to keep it, when to give it.

»He is very confident about his qualities. Today, he has scored eight goals at his age. At his age, I'm not sure so many strikers can say the same.

«If he finishes the year as he started it, he might ending scoring 16 goals. At his age, the only ones who did that before were Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema. »I'm not saying he will do the same career but statistically, the ones who can compare to him are those two." Newcastle are also on the verge of signing Dan Burn from Brighton for a fee of around £13m and left-back Matt