Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

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?

Image source, Getty Images

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.

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.

"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 would tick both of those boxes."

Noel Sliney and Tom McCoy

BBC Sport journalists

Image source, Opta

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.

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

Image source, Opta

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.
For more news relating to Manchester City, visit our sister site City Latest Live.