It appears as though Hugo Ekitike will not be heading to the Premier League after all.

BBC Sport's Alistair Magowan reports Newcastle United's deal for the Reims forward has collapsed with agent's fees proving to be the stumbling block.

Newcastle had initially made an approach for the 20-year-old France U-20 international in January.

A product of his hometown Reims academy, Ekitike made his senior debut in 2020 and became a first-team regular last season. In 24 Ligue 1 appearances last season, Ekitike scored 10 times.

Eddie Howe's team has already made a pair of signings in the current transfer window, signing England goalkeeper Nick Pope from Burnley for £10 million and converting left-back Matty Targett's loan from Aston Villa into a permanent deal for £15 million.

Newcastle is also expected to wrap up the signing of Netherlands U-20 defender Sven Botman from Lille in the coming days in a deal believed to be in the neighbourhood of £35.