Newcastle United target Hugo Ekitike has a "very high ceiling", believes journalist Dean Jones.

The Reims youngster is currently being linked with a move to St James Park, and Jones says there is a belief in the game that he will eventually emerge as one of the best strikers in Europe.

What is the latest news involving Ekitike?

According to Football Insider, Newcastle have made Ekitike their No.1 forward target this summer as Eddie Howe looks to improve his attack.

This comes after the Tyneside club tried to sign the 19-year-old in January, only for a deal to break down on deadline day.

While Ekitike has not been able to make much of an impact of late, partly because of injury, he really excelled in the first half of this season.

The Frenchman scored eight league goals before the new year, which is a good number for someone his age.

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In terms of what it could cost Newcastle to acquire his talent, Football Insider claims Reims currently value their gem at £25m.

What has Jones said about Ekitike?

Jones thinks Newcastle would be getting a player with a ridiculous amount of potential if they can finally get a deal over the line.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider said: "This lad has a very high ceiling, and over the next few years, there's genuine belief that he will emerge as one of the best in Europe."

Is anyone else interested in Ekitike?

Unsurprisingly, yes. In fact, according to Sky Sports, the reason why Ekitike opted to stay in France in January is because of late interest from Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.

Both clubs will probably be looking to add firepower to their squads this summer given the expected departures of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

The Daily Mail recently reported that Manchester City are closing in on the signing of the former, while the latter is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

It could see Dortmund and PSG make moves for Ekitike, which would complicate things for Newcastle. Howe, however, may be able to offer the Reims star more game time.

You would expect PSG to replace Mbappe with another big-name striker, while Dortmund have already reportedly identified Haaland's successor, Red Bull Salzburg's Karim Adeyemi, so Ekitike could struggle to find starts at either club.

Considering that, perhaps joining Newcastle is the more logical step to take at this stage of his career.