Liverpool have now reportedly reached an agreement over the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, in the latest piece of Reds business this summer.
The Frenchman has emerged as a leading attacking option for the Premier League champions in recent days, with Newcastle United star Alexander Isak proving to be difficult to sign.
Ekitike has been linked with a host of top clubs throughout the summer transfer window, but it now looks as though Liverpool have got their man.
According to This Is Anfield, the Reds have “agreed a deal” for the 23-year-old, bringing him in on a six-year deal worth a total of £79m.
The Frankfurt ace will now undergo a medical ahead of the transfer being officially announced, as Liverpool close on some significant business before the 2025/26 season gets underway.
How good can Ekitike be for Liverpool?
It remains to be seen if Liverpool are also able to get Isak this summer, but even if they don’t, they are signing a special young talent in Ekitike.
While still learning as a player, he has already scored 26 goals in 64 matches for Frankfurt, also netting five times in as many caps for France’s Under-21s.
Former Netherlands midfielder Wesler Sneijder has even compared Ekitike to both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, which is enormous praise:
“I might say something really crazy, but I’ll say it anyway: I think he’s a mix between Neymar and Mbappe. I sincerely think so. He has the grace of Neymar, but also the movements of Mbappe. To suddenly accelerate, that’s something that Mbappe also has. And he’s only 22 years old. There’s really a lot of potential in this boy.”
It is going to be so exciting to see what Ekitike can achieve in a Liverpool shirt in the coming years, hopefully benefiting greatly from playing alongside some world-class footballers, from Florian Wirtz to Mohamed Salah.
There may be times when some patience is required with him, considering the Frenchman is a younger, rawer version of Isak in some ways, but he has the ability to become a superstar at Anfield, becoming the next great No.9 at the club.
