Would Ekitike partner Isak at Newcastle or be his replacement?

It is not often supporters are worried by rumours their club might be about to break their transfer record.

But that is what is happening among some Newcastle United fans, with the Magpies moving for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike.

Newcastle's initial bid of £70m has been turned down by the Bundesliga club as the Magpies seek to agree what would be a club-record deal to land the coveted young forward.

With Premier League champions Liverpool also in the market for a central striker and known to have firm interest in Newcastle's Alexander Isak, it is inevitable some are drawing a certain conclusion.

BBC Sport understands the Premier League champions have made a move towards a deal for the Sweden striker in recent days. They have also explored the parameters for other centre-forward targets.

According to sources, it is believed a package to sign Isak could cost up to £130m - and the Magpies have been steadfast in their stance that their superstar striker is not for sale.

Those who know Newcastle believe they are trying to build a multi-layered attack capable of quickly switching tactics.

Those who know Ekitike, who has also been linked with Liverpool, know him as a versatile forward capable of scoring from all sorts of positions.

Newcastle have maintained throughout the summer that their top players - and Isak is certainly one of those - are not available for transfer.

So would Ekitike be a partner for Isak - or is there is a danger he could be his replacement?

Isak, 25, joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022 for £63m.

He is their record purchase and Newcastle supporters will tell you he has been worth every penny.

Over the past three seasons he has scored 54 league goals and that strike rate has led to him regularly been linked with a move elsewhere.

During the second half of last season Ekitike, like Isak, played as a lone striker. The 23-year-old scored 15 goals and contributed eight assists during the campaign as Frankfurt finished third in the Bundesliga.

So, two players who play in a very similar way and a team that has generally played with just one central striker under Eddie Howe. Where could the Frenchman fit in?

"It's not a given that Ekitike will play second fiddle to Isak - in fact there is a hope that they could play together," believes BBC Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck.

"Newcastle like versatility. They tried to sign Chelsea's Joao Pedro this summer, who is another versatile striker.

"I don't expect them to switch formation for the first game of the season, but this move would allow a greater scope to change tactics throughout the game.

"The message is still that Isak is not for sale. Newcastle are determined to keep him and don't need to sell for financial reasons.

"They are in the Champions League next season and want to be competitive in the league and all the cups so, even before Callum Wilson left, they were always going to need another striker.

"Ekitike has the profile they want and allows the team to be so much more flexible tactically.

"Newcastle have quality but often at times last season lacked depth. This signing ticks both of those boxes."

Signing Ekitike could give Newcastle a pre-season selection conundrum.

The statistics do suggest Isak and Ekitike have a lot of overlap in their play and have the same best position - playing as a lone striker.

Isak played 98% of his Premier League minutes last season as a central striker, only briefly featuring on the left of a front three.

His central role in Newcastle's attack is surely not to be messed with, given a return of 23 goals in 34 games?

However, a similar argument could be made for Ekitike. He scored 15 league goals in 31 starts for Frankfurt last season and played as a striker 95% of the time.

Newcastle are also well-stocked in wide areas, with Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and new £55m signing Anthony Elanga.

Touch maps for both forwards show they share a tendency to get on the ball in the inside left channel, but with Ekitike roaming more freely and a little deeper.

This perhaps offers encouragement to those who believe they can play alongside each other, with Ekitite at times dropping back to link with the midfielders.

He is a provider as well as a scorer, ranking in the top 6% among forwards for creating chances in last season's Bundesliga.

Newcastle's interest in Ekitike goes back to January 2021, the first transfer window with their Saudi Arabian owners.

Back then they were unable to make a deal work and in the summer they ultimately chose Isak instead.

But the admiration has remained for a player who started at Reims and left for Paris St-Germain in 2023 but failed to make an impact and had a spell on loan at Frankfurt before joining the German club permanently last summer.

"His tactical understanding is one of his great strengths," German football writer Constantin Eckner told BBC Sport.

"He served as a lone striker as well as part of a two-striker set-up under Frankfurt manager Dino Toppmoller.

"During the first half of last season, Ekitike and Omar Marmoush formed a fearsome strike pairing which was torn apart when Manchester City signed Marmoush for £63m in January.

"Subsequently, Frankfurt did not acquire a replacement for Marmoush and instead changed the tactical set-up, with Ekitike the lone striker.

"He is versatile and not just a striker that feels at home inside the box. Ekitike might not be the most dynamic player, but he can get past defenders with smart moves."

Eckner also told BBC Sport that Frankfurt's sporting director Markus Krosche has stated the club will not let Ekitike go for less than £86m.

He added: "It seems as if the Bundesliga side are fine with selling yet another top player to a Premier League club.

"Their current model is that they find these gems, try to develop them and then fund their next signings through the money they generate."