Liverpool close in on Ekitike in £70m-plus deal

Hugo Ekitike has been at Eintracht Frankfurt since last summer

Liverpool are in advanced talks to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike in a deal worth more than £70m.

Multiple sources have indicated that Liverpool aim to have the transfer wrapped up by this weekend.

Newcastle have had a £70m offer for Ekitike rejected by Frankfurt, with Liverpool's offer expected to surpass it.

Ekitike is open to joining the Premier League champions, who want to sign a central striker.

The 23-year-old scored 15 goals in 31 starts as Frankfurt finished third in the Bundesliga last term.

However, Ekitike is a provider as well as a scorer, with his eight assists ranking him within the top 6% among forwards for creating chances in Germany last season.

Ekitike registered 117 shots on goal in the Bundesliga last term - more than any other player.

His expected goals figure of 21.6 was the league's second highest.

Liverpool have also shown a major interest in Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, but the Magpies are adamant the Swede is not for sale at any price.

Liverpool have signed midfielder Florian Wirtz in a potential British record £116m deal this summer and paid £40m and £30m respectively for full-backs Milos Kerkez wand Jeremie Frimpong.

Newcastle are expected to accelerate their interest in Brentford striker Yoane Wissa within the next 24 hours after their own attempts to land Ekitike slowed.

'Ekitike is a versatile attacker'

Hugo Ekitike is the latest success story of Eintracht Frankfurt's recruitment.

The Frenchman was not unknown when he first joined Frankfurt on loan in early 2024 but had fallen in a bit of a hole. The striker had attracted the interest of other clubs, including Newcastle United, when he was coming through at Reims.

He opted for joining Paris St-Germain but he couldn't quite break through amid the club's embarrassment of riches in the attacking department.

Frankfurt picked him up and signed him on a permanent deal a year ago. He served as both a lone striker and in a partnership under Frankfurt manager Dino Toppmoller.

During the first half of last season, Ekitike and Omar Marmoush formed a fearsome pairing but this was broken up 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. During the second half of their 2024-25 campaign, Ekitike played up front, with two attacking midfielders behind him.

As for Ekitike's playing style, he is versatile and is not a striker who only feels at home inside the box. When he played alongside Marmoush, both swapped positions constantly. Ekitike might not be the most dynamic player, but he can get by defenders with smart moves.

His tactical understanding is one of his great strengths not just in possession, but also when it comes to applying a high or midfield press.