Liverpool have moved into pole position to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, with the striker favouring a switch to Anfield over Newcastle United. The Reds are preparing a bid in excess of £70 million after the Bundesliga club rejected a similar offer from Newcastle earlier this week.
The 23-year-old France international has expressed his desire to join Liverpool, and talks are progressing quickly. Liverpool approached Frankfurt on Wednesday to register their interest and have since informed the club they are ready to submit a formal bid. The two sides are now in active negotiations to finalise a deal.
Liverpool also retain an interest in Newcastle's Alexander Isak, but the Magpies are unwilling to sell their star striker this summer. The Swedish international, 25, could command a fee of around £120 million, which would smash the British transfer record. With Newcastle standing firm, Liverpool have switched their focus to Ekitike, who they believe can develop into a world-class number nine.
Frankfurt are open to selling Ekitike if their valuation is met, as they seek to maximise their return on the former Paris Saint-Germain forward. Despite qualifying for the Champions League, the German club see this summer as the optimum time to cash in and reinvest.
Liverpool's pursuit of a new striker is driven by the expected departure of Darwin Nunez, while Bayern Munich are also preparing a fresh bid for Luis Diaz after seeing a £58.6 million offer rejected this week. The Reds have already spent heavily this summer, including £100 million on Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz and £29 million for Jeremie Frimpong.
Newcastle, meanwhile, are now targeting Brentford's Yoann Wissa as an alternative to Ekitike. The Bees are determined to keep the 19-goal forward, especially with Bryan Mbeumo keen to join Manchester United, further complicating Newcastle's search for attacking reinforcements.
