Liverpool appear to have their big striker signing of the 2025 summer transfer window, with 23-year-old French forward Hugo Ekitike set to arrive from Eintracht Frankfurt in the coming days in a deal that could end up worth between €90-95M (£78-82M) with add-ons.
Widespread reports from England and Germany have the two clubs agreeing a fee, with the English reports naturally focusing on the slightly lower end of the fee range while German reports head for the high end. It is expected the base fee for the transfer of the young star striker will be around €80M (£69M).
Liverpool have moved quickly over the past week to secure the services of Ekitike, who had been heavily linked first to Chelsea and then Newcastle this summer. There have been some suggestions, though, that the player knew of Liverpool’s interest and had been waiting for the English champions.
The move comes after the Reds tested Newcastle’s resolve to hold on to Alexander Isak, but Ekitike is at worst a 1B option for Liverpool, who wanted to sign the striker when he was at Reims only to be beaten to his signing by Paris Saint-Germain in 2022.
Ekitike’s PSG move proved ill fated, with the youngster unable to crack the starting lineup and seeing his development take a step back before he made the switch to Frankfurt to get his career back on track. A breakout 2024-25 season was enough to get Europe’s biggest clubs once again sniffing around.
The striker is expected to sign a six-year contract with Liverpool, with personal terms fully agreed. Following his signing, Liverpool’s attention will turn to filling the gap at centre half while further forward signings are likely to depend on whether Luis Diaz stays or goes.
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