6 days ago
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Chelsea and Manchester United were interested in Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike before Liverpool pipped Newcastle to the Frenchman.
The Frenchman, 23, is set for a medical with the Reds after Frankfurt struck a $106 million agreement. The German club will make a sizeable profit on Ekitike, who joined the club in 2024 for just $20M. Frankfurt is guaranteed $93M, with the rest in add-ons depending on Ekitike and Liverpool's future success.
Newcastle were keen to sign Ekitike this summer and planned to hold onto Alexander Isak, who was of intense interest to the Reds. However, the Magpies' reluctance to sell the Swede saw Liverpool steal the march on their Northern rivals for young striker Ekitike.
It wasn't just Newcastle that Liverpool beat to the player, though. According to L'Equipe, Chelsea and Man Utd were also keen on the striker as both continue to build their rosters ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Whether either of the other two Premier League clubs truly stood a chance against the Reds is unknown. Still, it is claimed that Ekitike's camp asked Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche to "only speak to Liverpool."
Chelsea's unofficial approach may also stem from their roster being stacked with attacking talent up front. The Blues signed Joao Pedro from Brighton this summer, and the Brazilian has been a rampaging success, helping the West London club win the Club World Cup in the U.S., winning the final against Champions League winners PSG.
Chelsea also signed promising English forward Liam Delap following a successful spell at Ipswich before their relegation last season, and the Blues still have Nicolas Jackson on their books.
As for Man Utd, Ruben Amorim could've done with some striker reinforcements, with Rasmus Hojlund yet to come good since joining from Atalanta in 2023. Joshua Zirkzee hasn't been prolific since signing from Bologna either.
The Red Devils made one attacking acquisition this summer, signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves, and look set to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. However, they're unlikely to operate as the center forward this season.
As for manager Arne Slot's plans for Ekitike, it is said that the manager sold the project to the player via a video call. Despite Liverpool's success in winning the Premier League last season, the Dutchman refuses to get complacent.
He replaced the departed Trent Alexander-Arnold with Jeremie Frimpong, signed Milos Koerkez and Florian Wirtz, and is now solely focused on Ekitike. Slot discussed an evolution in Liverpool's game this season that will be incorporated around Ekitike.
The exchange “seduced” Ekitike and convinced him that Liverpool was the right next step in his career. Ekitike's arrival could also spell the end of Darwin Nunez's career at Anfield.
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