Liverpool gets nightmare transfer update as Real Madrid wants breakout star

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Real Madrid could be on the prowl for yet another Liverpool young player as the Spanish giants look to fortify their attack alongside French star Kylian Mbappe

Hugo Ekitike could be in demand during the summer transfer window(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool may need to sell next summer to recoup funds after splashing over €500 million ($577 million) during the 2025 summer transfer window.

The Reds certainly won't want to sell striker Hugo Ekitike: the 23-year-old Frenchman, bought for around €80 million ($92 million) from Eintracht Frankfurt, was one of the few clear-cut success stories from last summer.

However, Real Madrid is thought to be on the hunt for an out-and-out striker, and reports indicate that Los Blancos have already highlighted Ekitike as a possible target. The French international has scored 17 goals in 42 appearances for Liverpool in his first campaign in English football. Last year, Madrid poached Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool.

TEAMtalk is reporting that Ekitike has "climbed sharply" up the list — one that also includes Erling Haaland of Manchester City — of forwards Real Madrid is targeting.

Ekitike has 11 Premier League goals in 21 Premier League starts. He had to split time, or sometimes share the front-line alongside, fellow 2025 summer signing Alexander Isak.

Hugo Ekitike is leading the Reds in Premier League goals this season(Image: Getty Images)

Isak required ankle surgery following an injury suffered in December and hasn't returned, though the Swedish international is poised to contribute for the Reds down the stretch run.

Ekitike broke through in French football at Reims as a teenager, scoring 10 league goals in 2021/22 to earn a pricy move to a PSG team already featuring Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar.

Hugo Ekitike and Kylian Mbappe both line up for the French national team(Image: Getty Images)

He found playing time hard to come by and joined Frankfurt on loan in January 2024. He refound his goalscoring touch — he scored 15 Bundesliga goals last year — to earn a move to Liverpool.

Mbappe, now at Madrid, clearly prefers to play on the left wing, the same position occupied by co-star Vinicius Jr. The only true striker in the squad is 22-year-old Gonzalo Garcia, a prolific goalscorer for Madrid's academy sides who is still struggling to find his footing in the first team.

The Spanish giants may not have a ton of money to spend — the club spent over €160 million ($185 million) on transfer fees last summer. Typically, the team relies on free transfers to get deals done.

Mbappe's lofty wages also complicate Madrid's finances — the French star commands over €700,000 ($808,000) a week.

Additionally, Ekitike already plays second fiddle to Mbappe on the French national team — Mbappe figues to start on the left wing at this summer's World Cup, with reigning Balon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele slotting through the middle (Ekitike will likely be on the bench).