Newcastle Shift Focus to Brentford’s Wissa After ending Ekitike pursuit

Newcastle United are preparing to step up their pursuit of Brentford striker Yoane Wissa after pulling out of talks to sign Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike.

The Magpies had a £70 million bid rejected for Ekitike, 23, and have since refocused their efforts on alternative attacking options. Brentford’s Wissa, who is also being tracked by Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, has now emerged as a serious target for the Tyneside club.

Liverpool are also circling Ekitike, having identified the Frenchman as a backup option should their pursuit of Newcastle’s Alexander Isak fail. With Newcastle adamant Isak is not available for transfer, Liverpool could now look to intensify their push for Ekitike.

Sources close to Newcastle suggest that complications in negotiations with Frankfurt over Ekitike in the past 24 hours prompted a renewed interest in Wissa. Although other clubs have made more progress in their talks with the DR Congo international, Newcastle are expected to accelerate discussions in the coming days.

Brentford, however, are reluctant to lose both Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo in the same window. Mbeumo has attracted interest from Manchester United, while Wissa is reportedly open to a move that offers Champions League football.

Since arriving from Lorient in 2021, the 28-year-old Wissa has netted 45 times in 137 Premier League games. His role evolved significantly last season following Ivan Toney’s departure to Saudi Arabia, as he transitioned from a support role into a central striker.

That tactical shift paid off. All 19 of his league goals during the 2024–25 campaign came from inside the box, marking the most prolific season of his career. Wissa finished the season second for open-play goals, outperforming both Mbeumo and Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha.

Remarkably, all 45 of Wissa’s Premier League goals have come from open play a stat bettered only by Phil Foden, who has 46 non-penalty goals since Wissa’s debut in August 2021.