Liverpool have agreed a £79m deal with Eintracht Frankfurt for striker Hugo Ekitiké, taking their summer expenditure to almost £300m. The Premier League champions will pay an initial £69m, with a further £10m in add-ons tied to individual and club achievements.
Ekitiké emerged as Liverpool’s preferred No 9 after they received no encouragement in their pursuit of Newcastle’s Alexander Isak. The 23-year-old France Under-21 international had also been a target for Newcastle, who saw a £70m bid rejected last week, but made clear his preference was to join Arne Slot’s side.
The deal is worth €91m, €9m below the €100m release clause in Ekitiké’s contract. Liverpool accelerated negotiations with Eintracht late last week after being granted permission to discuss personal terms, and the forward has agreed in principle to a six-year contract.
Ekitiké is expected to become Liverpool’s seventh signing of the window, following Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman. He will join the squad on their 10-day pre-season tour of Hong Kong and Japan, with Liverpool having arrived in Hong Kong on Monday ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Milan.
The striker is scheduled to undergo a medical in the UK on Tuesday before finalising his contract and flying out to Hong Kong. Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, and members of the medical staff remained in the UK to complete the transfer. Ekitiké scored 22 goals and registered 12 assists in all competitions last season, his first in the Bundesliga, as Eintracht qualified for the Champions League.
