It has now been reported on Friday morning that Newcastle United have made a formal approach for Armando Broja.

The Echo of the North say their information is that Newcastle have made the formal approach to ask Chelsea about the striker’s availability.

The newspaper reports that United are now exploring potential alternatives, should Hugo Ekitike not end up coming to St James Park.

Armando Broja is also only 20, the same age as Ekitike, but has played a lot more first-team football than the French striker.

While Hugo Ekitike has only made 23 first-team starts in his career, Armando Broja has already made 72 appearances in club football, including 48 starts.

Just four first-team minutes for Chelsea but the Albanian striker spent 2020/21 in Holland with Vitesse and then last season at Southampton.

The striker has scored 11 goals in all competitions for Vitesse in this 2020/21 season, then nine last season with Southampton.

He started in the 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle in March (2022), while coming on as a substitute at St James Park in August when Southampton went 1-0 up, with that game ending 2-2.

In terms of international football, made his senior debut for Albania aged just 18, he has already made 14 appearances and scored four times for his country.

The Northern Echo says Newcastle United have yet to drop Hugo Ekitike but are looking to put in place alternative arrangements. With little/no chance of first-team football at Chelsea in the coming season, the Stamford Bridge club seem certain to let Armando Broja move out this summer, with the only question being whether they would insist on a loan deal. or if they would be ready to sell…with then the question of how much?