Chelsea are reportedly hoping to pip Newcastle to the £33million signing of highly-rated Reims striker Hugo Ekitike, but face stiff competition from Borussia Dortmund.
The teenage forward has emerged as one of French football's brightest talents this season having struck nine times in 20 Ligue 1 outings.
The 19-year-old's goalscoring exploits saw Newcastle push to secure his services last month and the two clubs reportedly reached an agreement on deadline day after the Magpies matched the £33m asking price.
However, Ekitike snubbed the January move in favour of remaining with his boyhood club Reims until the end of the season.
According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea were another club interested in bringing the French Under-20 international to England, but the Premier League pair face competition from elsewhere.
German outlet Bild have revealed that Borussia Dortmund are also in the race for the Ekitike as they eye up potential replacements for in-demand hitman Erling Haaland.
There is much speculation surrounding the future of their Norwegian striker amid reports that a £67m release clause in his contract will become active this summer.
Should Haaland depart at the end of the season as predicted, the Bundesliga side would be in serious need of some attacking reinforcements, and it appears they believe Ekitike could be the answer.
The Reims striker's current deal expires in 2024 and the Ligue 1 outfit were determined to retain his services last month, slapping a £33m price tag on their prized asset - a figure which Newcastle eventually matched.
The Magpies initially failed in their attempts to prise him away from northern France as a £29m offer was rejected with Reims viewing the reported inclusion of a Champions League clause as "unrealistic".
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"It is true that a lot have realised the quality of the player now, but not us. He was formed with us and it does not surprise us," Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot told Le Quotidien du Sport.
"Newcastle positioned themselves, we discussed it, they made us an offer that did not suit us.
"As we do not really want him to leave, we have fixed the price quite high. They did offer us €35million (£29m) all in, but with a number of bonuses, some of them were quasi-impossible to reach.
"Like for example, winning the Champions League … We want €30m (£25m) flat and €10m (£8.3m) achievable bonuses."
Chelsea, who have previously been linked to Dortmund's Haaland, reportedly made contact with Reims over Ekitike last month as they too appear to be exploring the possibility of adding further firepower to their ranks.
The Blues shelled out a whopping £97.5m on Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan last summer, however question marks remain over his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.
The Belgian striker recently expressed his desire to return to Milan in a controversial interview with Sky Italy and fuelled further speculation with a cryptic Snapchat post last week.
Both Chelsea and Newcastle are said to face further competition for Ekitike from none of other than French giants Paris Saint-Germain, while West Ham are another who have been previously linked.
