The transfer of the France Under-21 international to Anfield is set to bring Liverpool’s summer spending to over £250 million.
Liverpool finalized the acquisition of striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday for a reported fee of £69 million ($92 million), continuing their extensive spending this summer.
According to a statement from Liverpool, “The 23-year-old has passed his medical and finalized personal terms with the club, enabling him to travel to Hong Kong to join his new teammates on their pre-season tour of Asia later this week.”
This transfer will bring Liverpool’s total summer expenditure to over £250 million.
After Newcastle declined to sell Swedish striker Alexander Isak, valued at around £150 million, Liverpool shifted their focus to Ekitike.
Newcastle and Manchester United also expressed interest in Ekitike, but Liverpool emerged as the victor in the race for one of Europe’s most promising young talents.
The deal may include an additional £10 million in performance-related add-ons, potentially raising Ekitike’s overall transfer fee to £79 million.
Last season, Ekitike scored 22 goals in 48 matches across all competitions for Frankfurt after transferring from Paris Saint-Germain.
His outstanding performances earned him a spot in the Bundesliga team of the season, contributing to Frankfurt’s impressive third-place finish in the league.
Liverpool is looking to fill an attacking void following Diogo Jota’s tragic death in a car accident in Spain.
Additionally, the club is reportedly open to selling Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez, while there was a rejected bid from Bayern Munich for Colombian forward Luis Diaz.
So far, Liverpool has invested £116 million in Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz, along with securing defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth, respectively.
Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has also joined the squad following an agreement to join from Valencia in 2024.
Ekitike began his football journey at his hometown club Reims and had a short loan period in Denmark in 2021 before moving to PSG the following year.
His playing time was limited at the start of the 2023-24 season before he moved to Frankfurt on loan.
Eintracht sporting director Markus Krosche stated, “Hugo has made significant progress during his 18 months with us and has been a tremendous asset to both our team and the club, both on and off the pitch. We’re thrilled he can now take this next step, one he has earned through his performances.”
