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Hugo Ekitike is on the verge of becoming a Liverpool player, although the Reds are far from done in the summer transfer window.
The 23-year-old will become the latest big signing in what has already been a huge summer for Liverpool, with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez having already been signed, while goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has completed his move from Valencia after a deal was agreed last year.
Ekitike is set to complete his $106 million move from Eintracht Frankfurt this week, with the striker already on his way for his medical before he jets off to meet up with his new teammates out in Hong Kong.
Already with a Premier League-winning squad at his disposal, Arne Slot has been bolstered for next season’s defense, and there is still the potential for more signings to be made.
A new defender is likely to become the next priority, especially after Jarell Quansah’s move to Bayer Leverkusen left Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as the only remaining senior center-backs, while a late play for Alexander Isak might not necessarily be out of the question.
The Reds though will also be looking to offload, with a number of players facing uncertain futures.
Luis Diaz in particular continues to be linked with a move away, with Bayern Munich plotting a second bid after being turned down last week with an initial offer.
Liverpool still maintains the Colombian is not for sale, although as The Athletic points out, Diaz has outlined his desire to leave the club.
The report lists another seven players who could be on the move this summer, including Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan sent a timely reminder to Slot with a hat-trick against Stoke City on Sunday, although he does have interest from Saudi Arabia now that a move to Napoli looks to be off the table.
It’s also claimed that Federico Chiesa is expected to discuss a move away in the coming weeks. The Italian was left out of Liverpool’s touring squad with a minor fitness issue, having struggled for any game time last season.
Elsewhere, Harvey Elliott and Tyler Morton are both said to be attracting interest from Premier League sides, while Ben Doak will be given an opportunity in pre-season to either impress Slot or put himself in the shop window.
Two players look likely to be heading out on loan, meanwhile. Luca Stephenson is expected to agree a new contract before making another temporary move, having spent last season with Dundee United, while James McConnell is also in talks over a new deal before potentially heading out on loan.
Liverpool.com says: No major surprises in the names listed for potential moves. It will be interesting to see what happens with Diaz this summer, with the growing feeling among fans being that we might see him on the move.
Chiesa missing the tour is a huge disappointment, and rather sums up his time with the Reds so far. It’s for that reason that it makes sense for Liverpool to just cut its losses with him - it’s not like it spent a huge amount on him anyway.
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