5 months ago
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Hugo Ekitike is on the brink of becoming the latest forward to exit Eintracht Frankfurt for a hefty fee. Liverpool has already secured personal terms with the French striker and is negotiating with the Bundesliga side to secure his signature.
The 23-year-old, who made his move to Eintracht permanent from Paris Saint-Germain in a $19 million transfer following a fruitful loan spell in April 2024, had a remarkable season with the German club last term.
With 48 appearances under his belt, Ekitike notched up 22 goals and 12 assists, playing a pivotal role in the team's qualification for the Champions League as they clinched an impressive third place in the Bundesliga. This feat was achieved even after the sale of Ekitike's fellow forward in January.
Omar Marmoush was having an even more stellar season, bagging 20 goals and 14 assists in just 26 outings before Man City captured him in a $79M deal in January.
Ekitke is now poised to tread a similar path to the Premier League, with Eintracht believed to be holding out for around $114M for the prolific striker.
However, a deal now looks to have been reached with Liverpool, with Eintracht's sporting director Markus Krosche having previously acknowledged their willingness to sell top talent if they surpass the ambitions of the club.
"He's one of the most interesting strikers on the European market," Krosche remarked about Ekitike during a Sport1 interview in May. "Hugo has to decide that. I'm glad we have him.
"If he decides otherwise, that's our motto: If a player develops faster than us, we let him go."
This has certainly been the trend in recent years, with Ekitike and Marmoush being the latest players to be sold for substantial profit to top-tier European clubs.
Last year, Willian Pacho made a $52M move from the club to Paris Saint-Germain, while the Parisians had previously shelled out $105M to secure Randal Kolo Muani from Eintracht. That same summer, Jesper Lindstrom transferred to Napoli in a $35M deal.
In 2021, Andre Silva was snapped up by RB Leipzig in a $27M deal. And in the summer of 2019, strike partners Luka Jovic and Sebastien Haller moved to Real Madrid and West Ham United respectively in deals worth $70M and $58M.
Add to this the $87M they received for Marmoush and the $116M they hope to rake in for Ekitike, and that's roughly $552M pocketed from selling some of their biggest stars over the past six years.
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Despite these departures, Eintracht managed to win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League again, proving their transfer model to be a resounding success.
While it's true that their departing strikers don't always thrive in their new environments, the Bundesliga side seems to have no trouble finding their next star player.
Eintracht won't stand in Ekitike's way as discussions with Liverpool continue, and they'll already be planning how to invest such a windfall on his replacement.
With the Frenchman potentially set to become the Bundesliga team's record sale, the Reds can only hope he proves to be worth every penny.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
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