Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal worth £69 million to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, with an additional £10 million in add-ons, potentially bringing the total transfer fee to £79 million.
The move comes after Newcastle United refused to sell Sweden forward Alexander Isak, who is valued at around £150 million. Ekitike, 23, was also on the radar of Manchester United and Newcastle, but Liverpool appear set to win the race for the highly-rated Frenchman.
Once the transfer is finalised, Ekitike is expected to join Arne Slot’s squad on their pre-season tour of Asia.
The French forward had a standout 2024/25 season at Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 22 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain.
He was notably absent from the squad during Saturday’s friendly against FSV Frankfurt, with head coach Dino Toppmoller confirming his exit as “a bitter loss.”
Liverpool’s move comes amid major changes in their attacking lineup, following the tragic death of Diogo Jota in a car crash in Spain. The club is also open to selling Darwin Nunez, while Luis Diaz remains a target for Bayern Munich, whose opening bid has already been rejected.
This marks yet another big-money acquisition for Arne Slot, who has also overseen the arrivals of:
- Florian Wirtz (£116 million) from Germany,
- Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen,
- Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth, and
- Giorgi Mamardashvili, the Georgian goalkeeper signed from Valencia.
The rebuilding project under Slot reflects Liverpool’s determination to maintain their dominance following their Premier League title win last season.
