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Correspondent- Based in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN's Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.
For Hugo Ekitike, the decision was easy. From the moment he spoke with Liverpool head coach Arne Slot about his plans for the season ahead, the France youth international was completely sold on a move to Anfield.
Of course, there was still plenty of work to be done behind the scenes. Eintracht Frankfurt -- the club Ekitike joined permanently in a €17.5million deal from Paris Saint-Germain last summer -- are expert negotiators and would only sanction the exit of their star forward if one of his many suitors tabled a significant bid. On Monday, Liverpool did just that, agreeing to pay Frankfurt an initial £69m fee plus a further £10m in performance-related add-ons to secure Ekitike's signature.
It is a huge move for the 23-year-old and another statement of intent from the Premier League champions, whose other signings this summer include Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez and Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz.
In spite of such heavy spending, signing a new centre-forward has always featured highly on Liverpool's list of priorities. Darwin Núñez -- who joined the club from Benfica for an initial £64m in 2022 -- is likely to depart this summer having failed to fill his full potential across his three seasons on Merseyside, while Federico Chiesa looks poised for an exit having been omitted from Liverpool's squad for their preseason tour of Asia.
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Luis DÃaz -- who was regularly deployed up front by Slot last season -- also faces an uncertain future amid interest from Bayern Munich, who saw a €67.5m bid (£58.6m) rejected last week.
Of course, the ongoing upheaval surrounding Liverpool's forward line comes against the backdrop of Diogo Jota, who died alongside his brother, André Silva, in a car accident earlier this month.
Last week, Liverpool stepped up their pursuit of a No.9 when they enquired over the availability of Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak. The 25-year-old Sweden international has long been viewed as the club's dream centre-forward target however Newcastle have so far maintained their stance that the player is not for sale.
Just 23, Ekitike lacks Isak's polish, but there is belief among Liverpool's decision-makers that he has all the ingredients to develop into one of the best strikers in Europe. So how did Liverpool decide he was the man for the job, and what can fans expect from him when he arrives in the Premier League?
"He loves playing for others"
When signing a player, Liverpool are always guided by the data and in Ekitike's case, the statistics made for impressive reading.
The forward burst onto the scene during the 2021-22 season while playing for French side Reims, whose academy he had joined in 2013. After scoring 11 goals in 26 games for his boyhood club, Ekitike earned a €35 million move to PSG, initially joining on loan in 2022 before the transfer was made permanent a year later.
During his time in Paris, the forward was given the opportunity to learn alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, but with opportunities limited after the arrival of new manager Luis Enrique in the summer of 2023, he made the switch to Frankfurt the following February, again joining on loan before signing permanently in 2024. The move proved a resounding success, and last season was a stellar one for Ekitike, who registered 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 games for the Bundesliga side.
Standing at 6-foot-2, the Frenchman is an imposing figure, capable of playing in a variety of positions across the front line. At Frankfurt, he shone playing in a front two alongside Omar Marmoush before the latter's £59m move to Manchester City in January. In the absence of the Egypt international, Ekitike proved himself capable of excelling as a lone striker, with support from the likes of Farès Chaïbi and Mario Götze behind him. There is hope he could have a similar relationship at Liverpool with Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Wirtz.
Ekitike is in some ways the archetypal modern No.9. and still has plenty of room for improvement. For example, he yielded 15 goals from an expected goals (xG) value of 21.6 in the Bundesliga last term, taking 117 shots -- more than any other player in the division. If he's able to further hone his finishing at Anfield, he could be a scary prospect for Premier League defenders.
Stylistically, Ekitike profiles similarly to fellow Liverpool target Isak -- they are both tall and pacy with excellent technique -- but models himself on Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema, whose success he hopes to emulate in the years ahead. He is an accomplished dribbler and enjoys creating for his teammates, with one scout from a top European club telling ESPN: "He loves playing for others who love playing for him."
The forward is yet to break into France's senior team, but has five caps for the Under-21 side and is hopeful a productive season at Liverpool will earn him a place in Didier Deschamps' squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Slot "masterclass" sealed Ektike's decision
Only a week ago it looked as if Ekitike could be heading to Newcastle. The Tyneside club first tried to sign the striker while he was still at Reims in 2022 and have continued to monitor him since. Newcastle formalised their interest once again this summer and sources told ESPN they were prepared to pay an initial £70m fee, though they had not gotten as far as agreeing add-ons with Frankfurt before Liverpool made their move.
While externally there were suggestions the club's pursuit of the player was part of an elaborate ploy to instead sign Isak from Newcastle, Ekitike has always been one of the leading names on the Reds' shortlist for a new centre-forward. Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, chief scout Barry Hunter and Michael Edwards (the CEO of Football for owners Fenway Sports Group) have been following his progress for months, with Hughes having admired the player during his time as technical director at Bournemouth.
Sources told ESPN the club first made contact with the player's camp in March before talks began in earnest last week. It is understood Slot held a Zoom call with Ekitike, during which the Liverpool head coach detailed his need for a mobile and dynamic No.9 who could combine brilliance on the ball with tenacity and intelligence off it. Ekitike saw himself as the perfect fit, with sources telling ESPN Slot pulled off a "masterclass," prompting the player to prioritise a move to Liverpool despite interest from elsewhere.
There had been some initial concerns over whether Ekitike was ready for such a big move, with parallels being drawn with his switch to PSG three years ago. But with Ekitike having learnt from that experience and developed enormously over the past few seasons, there is a now a confidence among all parties that the time is right for this next step.
Negotiations continued over the weekend, but when Ekitike was left out of the Frankfurt's squad for Saturday's friendly with FSV Frankfurt, it seemed like the writing was on the wall. "He didn't play, but you can imagine everything else," manager Dino Toppmoller told Sky Sports Germany when quizzed on Ekitike's absence after the game.
"This is a bitter loss. We lost our absolute top player in the winter with Omar Marmoush. The other player stepped in and developed sensationally. It's quite possible that that's history, too."
But Frankfurt's loss is Liverpool's gain, with the player now set to sign a six-year deal at Anfield. Sources told ESPN the forward is expected to complete his medical in the UK on Tuesday before flying out to link up with Slot's squad in Hong Kong later this week, where he will be given the chance to settle in with his new teammates ahead of the new season.
Liverpool continuing "big summer"
Liverpool have never shown much interest in "winning" the transfer window. After their Champions League triumph in 2019, their only signings were teenage duo Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliott -- from PEC Zwolle and Fulham respectively -- plus back-up goalkeepers Adrian San Miguel and Andy Lonergan. Liverpool's perceived failure to significantly strengthen while on top sparked frustration in some quarters of the fanbase, but that strategy was vindicated the following season when Jurgen Klopp's side won the club's first league title in 30 years.
After Klopp's departure last summer, the only addition to the squad was Chiesa in a £12.5m transfer from Juventus. Once again, Liverpool's lack of action in the market raised eyebrows, but Slot was happy with the squad he had inherited, and his team went on to win the title at a canter last term. Still, for months there has been a growing sense that this would be a summer of change at Anfield.
