3 weeks ago
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Liverpool's pursuit of Hugo Ekitike is expected to intensify in the coming days after the Reds submitted their first offer for the Frenchman earlier this week.
The Reds need extra firepower up front, and Darwin Nunez is expected to leave this summer. Ekitike, who managed 22 goals and 12 assists last season for Eintracht Frankfurt, could replace the current Liverpool no.9.
Last term wasn’t quite a breakthrough year for the 23-year-old, who starred for Stade Reims in the 2021/22 campaign and netted 10 league goals, but it was perhaps the first season that convinced Liverpool of the striker’s capabilities.
Having previously spent a season and a half at Paris Saint-Germain, Ekitike knows about the pressures that come with playing for an elite club, while his displays last term fired Eintracht Frankfurt to a Champions League spot.
Mario Gotze, a former Bayern Munich and Germany legend who scored the winner in the 2014 World Cup final, is among Ekitike’s current teammates at Frankfurt.
Speaking last year, the German outlined the forward’s best qualities and why he believed the player would thrive following his move to the Bundesliga side.
“I think he has abilities that not many players have, with his dribbling, his speed, and his finishing, so he can certainly help us a lot, as we saw last year,” Gotze told the Bundesliga website.
“We just need everyone at 100 percent so they can help the team. That goes for everyone who has played, those who are new, and those who have been around for a while. [Ekitike] is definitely an asset for the team.”
What stands out among Ekitike’s range of skills is his ability to run beyond the last defender and stretch opposition defenses, and his penchant for dropping deep and into wide areas. It makes for an intriguing combination.
At 6ft 3in, he will bring more aerial presence to the Liverpool team, should he sign. Even Arne Slot admitted at the end of last season that the Reds needed to add more goals from set-pieces.
Meanwhile, Ekitike’s speed, close control, and high expected goals make him an intriguing prospect for Liverpool fans.
A move for the 23-year-old may put Liverpool’s pursuit of Alexander Isak into doubt. The Reds enquired about the Swede earlier this week but did not submit an official offer for the Newcastle United star, with the Magpies insistent the player is not for sale.
Ekitike had been in talks to join Newcastle, but those plans appear to have been shelved following Liverpool’s interest. Brentford’s Yoane Wissa is now a reported target.
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