3 months ago
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It should be just a matter of when, not if, Hugo Ekitike becomes a Liverpool player now.
After a rollercoaster week in the transfer window, the Reds look to have got their man. Various reports are now indicating that the Reds have agreed a deal with Eintracht Frankfurt, having previously been eyeing up a move for Alexander Isak.
Newcastle even made its own play for Ekitike, and while Isak’s future might still be in some doubt, Liverpool has wasted no time in securing a new No. 9 as Arne Slot steps up his preparations for next season’s Premier League title defense.
According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, among others, a fee has been agreed with Eintracht totaling $111 million, including add-ons. It’s claimed a medical will take place soon, with Ekitike set to sign a six-year deal at Anfield.
Liverpool fans will therefore be waiting with bated breath for the announcement of the club’s next signing, and they might not have to wait too long in order to see Ekitike in action for the Reds for the first time.
The squad is flying to Hong Kong on Sunday as it begins its pre-season tour of Asia, with Liverpool taking on AC Milan in a replay of the 2005 Champions League final on Saturday, July 26.
That game is likely to come too soon for the striker, regardless of whether he undergoes his medical on Merseyside or if he links straight up with the Reds out in Asia for it.
Having been left out of Eintracht’s friendly against FSV Frankfurt on Saturday for obvious reasons, he won’t have much game time in his legs at the moment, and so it is more likely he will make his first appearance after the Milan game.
The next target could therefore be the friendly against Yokohama F Marinos in Japan on July 30, although depending on when exactly the medical is completed and the contract is signed, that might still prove to be a push.
By the time Liverpool returns to Merseyside, though, Ekitike should be ready to play his first game for his new club, if he hasn’t already.
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Fans should therefore get a glimpse of him in action in one of the Reds’ two games against Athletic Bilbao on August 4 at Anfield, and he may well have been joined by another new signing or two by then.
Following on from that double-header, Liverpool heads to Wembley to take on FA Cup winner Crystal Palace on August 10 for the Community Shield, giving Ekitike his first opportunity to lift some silverware with the Reds.
And then it's into the 2025/26 season proper, with Liverpool hosting Bournemouth at Anfield in the curtain-raiser on August 15, when Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Giorgi Mamardashvili will all be hoping to make their competitive debuts.
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