Newcastle have stepped up their interest in long-term striker target Hugo Ekitike.

The Tyneside club have held meetings in Germany over the past week with Eintracht Frankfurt for the France U21 international.

Sky in Germany are reporting that further meetings with Ekitike’s representatives have taken place in Austria, where Newcastle have travelled for a pre-season training camp.

Talks centre on what would be a club-record offer for the 23-year-old, with the Bundesliga side valuing the striker at £86m.

Alexander Isak is Newcastle’s current club record after he joined in a £63m deal from Real Sociedad in August 2022.

Newcastle tried and failed to sign Ekitike in 2022, as he moved to Paris Saint-Germain from Reims instead.

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From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.

And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.