Eintracht Frankfurt have reportedly rejected Newcastle's €80million (£69.4m) bid for star striker Hugo Ekitike.
Mail Sport understands that the Bundesliga side wants £86m for the French forward and Newcastle will have to smash their transfer record to complete a move.
Alexander Isak, who they signed for £63m from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, is their current record signing.
Talks have been ongoing since another Newcastle target, Joao Pedro, joined Chelsea, and further meetings were held on Monday in Austria where Eddie Howe's squad have arrived for pre-season training.
Ekitike only signed for Frankfurt permanently last summer for €16.