Paris Saint-Germain have announced the signing of striker Hugo Ekitike from Stade de Reims on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a successful breakout campaign in Ligue 1 last season, with 11 goals in 26 games across all competitions.
Ekitike becomes the PSG’s third major signing of the summer after securing Nuno Mendes permanently and Vitinha from Porto.
Ekitike told the official club website:
‘It’s a mixture of many feelings, many emotions. I obviously feel a lot of joy and pride to be signing with Paris. It’s a real proud moment to be here.
‘My heart chose Paris. I am also French, it is the club from my country. And it’s a club where the greatest players play, where there is a quality and experienced staff, and the desire to win all the trophies in all the competitions.
‘There is everything here for me to improve. All the ingredients are here, so it’s a logical choice for me to be here. Finally, I myself have family in the Paris region and I have always followed Paris Saint-Germain. All this makes it very natural for me to want to join this club. It’s the right choice for me to be here!’
He added:
‘I am a player who likes nice touches a lot. So my goal is to give pleasure to the people who come to watch the matches. That’s my way of seeing things.
‘I like aesthetics in football, and I think that in Paris I am in the best place to play like that. And then there is also the statistical side which is very important in football today, and the desire to make the team shine.’
Newcastle chased the signature of the Ekitike throughout January but were unsuccessful in their pursuit, leading them to signing Burnley striker Chris Wood.
The French champions have the option to buy Ekitite for £25.5million, a fee less than what Newcastle offered.
Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot explained the club could not stand in the way of the France U-20 international.
Speaking to l’Union, he said:
‘We didn’t quite reach the sum offered by Newcastle but Hugo Ekitike has always been respectful towards the club.
‘We are happy to allow him to fulfil his dream.’
Newcastle will have to find another attacker to bolster their frontline and compete with Wood and Callum Wilson.
Dwight Gale is still a Magpie but he could be on the way out of the club this summer, with multiple Championship sides interested in his signature.
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