Archive July 21, 2025

Hugo Ekitike has an initial £69 million contract with Eintracht Frankfurt, according to Liverpool.

The 23-year-old Frenchman will travel to the United Kingdom on Tuesday to undergo a medical procedure.

A deal worth £79 million, guaranteed, and included a £10 million add-on, was accepted in Frankfurt.

Liverpool have shown an interest in Magpies striker Alexander Isak, while Newcastle’s £70 million bid for Ekitike was turned down this month.

As Frankfurt finished third in the Bundesliga last season, Ekitike scored 15 goals in 31 starts.

His arrival will increase Liverpool’s spending this summer past $ 230 million.

Hugo Ekitike has an initial £69 million contract with Eintracht Frankfurt, according to Liverpool.

The 23-year-old Frenchman will travel to the United Kingdom on Tuesday to undergo a medical procedure.

A deal worth £79 million, guaranteed, and included a £10 million add-on, was accepted in Frankfurt.

Liverpool have shown an interest in Magpies striker Alexander Isak, while Newcastle’s £70 million bid for Ekitike was turned down this month.

As Frankfurt finished third in the Bundesliga last season, Ekitike scored 15 goals in 31 starts.

His arrival will increase Liverpool’s spending this summer past $ 230 million.

Scottie Scheffler, the new Open champion, is all Rory McIlroy needs to look for if he wants to reach his “next Everest.”

The Northern Irishman now trails the player who holds the Claret Jug by a significant margin even after winning the Masters and claiming a second Players title and claiming the Pebble Beach signature title in a season when he had already won the Grand Slam.

The rankings do not lie because McIlroy is the second-best player in the world. His standings points average has increased to 20.52 following Scheffler’s impressive victory at Royal Portrush.

McIlroy, who placed seventh at the Open, is now 8.96 points back. That makes Max Greyserman, who is currently 36th, stand out from second in the standings.

It has become McIlroy’s next goal to topple Scheffler from his perch, which is a challenging task.

The 36-year-old from Holywood, County Down, struggled to find motivation right after his epic Augusta adventure. His only hope was winning the Masters and winning the career grand slam.

It took the possibility of an Open in his native Northern Ireland to regain his focus with the help of the Green Jacket.

And, as he claimed, the Claret Jug, in addition to his Portrush experience, gave him essentially everything he wanted.

After the eventual champion carded his second-round 64, no one else would ever even consider holding the most significant trophy in golf.

The tall American is far superior to the rest when it comes to delivering when the most important titles are in question, as the world rankings indicate. Following his impressive victory in the US PGA at Quail Hollow in May, this was his second major of the year.

McIlroy is still the most likely player to challenge the world number one’s dominance, despite the understandable comparisons in the post-championship debate between Scheffler’s current success and Tiger Woods’ dominance.

McIlroy won the US Open, US PGA, and The Open between June 2011 and August 2014.

It was a quick four-hole major, with eight shots left in the game, like Scheffler.

No one at the time could have anticipated McIlroy’s 11-year barren spell. However, he remained in the very top positions of the game throughout the harrowing near misses.

He has now won 67 majors and 33 of his finals were in the top 10.

No other active player can match the remarkable consistency of its extraordinarily long run.

McIlroy, who was one of only six winners of all four majors, could be happy with his accomplishments despite being formally an all-time great.

McIlroy has been doing it for a very long time, but his appetite seems to be declining.

He wants to win an Olympic medal in 2028 and is eager to contribute to another Ryder Cup victory away in September.

The struggle to escape Scheffler’s long shadow also arises.

You can only admire what he does and how he does it, McIlroy said.

“He does one thing, and how he does it is another.” He is currently the best at executing in the game because he just goes about his business and doesn’t do anything overly flamboyant.

Over the past two to three years, it has been “absolutely amazing.” You just need to tip your cap and observe with admiration.

Since 1992’s Nick Faldo, there hasn’t been another Open winner without an Englishman. However, Matt Fitzpatrick’s resumption of form was a motivating reminder of the 2022 US Open champion’s stellar pedigree.

Bob MacIntyre was beaten by Fitzpatrick by a shot in the fourth round. Following a runner-up finish at the US Open in June, the Scot placed seventh, again demonstrating his major credentials.

At seven under and in the top 20, Tyrrell Hatton passed Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, and John Parry on the final day. They also know the enemy they must defeat if they want to achieve significant success in the future.

McIlroy is currently the most likely opponent to Scheffler.

He said, “All I can do is concentrate on myself and try to play the best golf I can.”

If Rory McIlroy is still seeking his “next Everest”, he need look no further than new Open champion Scottie Scheffler.

Even in a season when the Northern Irishman completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, after claiming a second Players title and landing the Pebble Beach signature title, he trails the player now clutching the Claret Jug by a substantial margin.

McIlroy is the world’s second best player and, in that regard, the rankings do not lie. Following Scheffler’s dominant victory at Royal Portrush, his points average in the standings has risen to 20.52.

McIlroy, who shared seventh place at the Open, is 8.96 points behind. That is the difference between second in the standings and Max Greyserman, who is currently 36th.

Toppling Scheffler from his perch is a mountainous challenge and it has become the next objective for McIlroy.

The 36-year-old from Holywood, County Down, struggled for motivation in the immediate aftermath of his epic Augusta adventure. Winning the Masters and completing the career grand slam had become his be all and end all.

With the Green Jacket on his back, it took the prospect of an Open in his native Northern Ireland to bring back a sense of focus.

And, as he said, his Portrush experience gave him pretty much all he wanted, bar the Claret Jug.

In truth, no-one other than Scheffler was ever going to get a sniff of holding golf’s most historic trophy after the eventual champion carded his second-round 64.

As the world rankings reflect, the tall American is head and shoulders above the rest at delivering when the biggest titles are on the line. This was his second major of the year, following his convincing triumph in May’s US PGA at Quail Hollow.

While the post-championship chat is littered with understandable comparisons between Scheffler’s current success and the way the great Tiger Woods dominated the game, McIlroy remains the most likely to challenge the world number one’s supremacy.

Between June 2011 and August 2014 McIlroy was similarly dominant, winning the US Open, US PGA and The Open.

Like Scheffler, it was a quick surge to four majors, the first two won with eight shots to spare.

There then came an 11-year barren spell for McIlroy that no-one back then could have anticipated. But he remained in the very upper echelons of the game throughout that period of frustrating near misses.

He has now played in 67 majors and finished in the top 10 33 times.

It is an extraordinarily long run of remarkable consistency that no other active player can match.

Officially an all-time great, as one of only six winners of all four majors, McIlroy could be satisfied with his lot.

McIlroy has been doing it for a very long time, but there seems little diminishing of appetite.

He is determined to contribute to another away win in the Ryder Cup in September and would love an Olympic medal in 2028.

There is also the challenge of trying to emerge from Scheffler’s long shadow.

“All you can do is admire what he does and how he does it,” McIlroy said.

“What he does is one thing, but how he does it is another. He just goes about his business, doesn’t do anything overly flamboyant, but he’s the best at executing in the game right now.

“It’s been absolutely amazing over these past two to three years. All you can do is tip your cap and watch in admiration.”

Another Open has passed without an English winner, none since Nick Faldo in 1992. But Matt Fitzpatrick’s return to form was an encouraging reminder of the 2022 US Open champion’s world-class pedigree.

In a share of fourth, Fitzpatrick beat Bob MacIntyre by a shot. The Scot tied for seventh, again demonstrating his major credentials following a runner-up finish at June’s US Open.

Tyrrell Hatton faded on the final day to finish alongside Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and John Parry at seven under and inside the top 20. They also know the man they have to beat if they are to enjoy future major success.

Right now McIlroy is the player most likely to challenge Scheffler.

“All I can do is focus on myself and try to play the best golf that I can,” he said.

Scottie Scheffler, the new Open champion, is all Rory McIlroy needs to look for if he wants to reach his “next Everest.”

The Northern Irishman now trails the player who holds the Claret Jug by a significant margin even after winning the Masters and claiming a second Players title and claiming the Pebble Beach signature title in a season when he had already won the Grand Slam.

The rankings do not lie because McIlroy is the second-best player in the world. His standings points average has increased to 20.52 following Scheffler’s impressive victory at Royal Portrush.

McIlroy, who placed seventh at the Open, is now 8.96 points back. That makes Max Greyserman, who is currently 36th, stand out from second in the standings.

It has become McIlroy’s next goal to topple Scheffler from his perch, which is a challenging task.

The 36-year-old from Holywood, County Down, struggled to find motivation right after his epic Augusta adventure. His only hope was winning the Masters and winning the career grand slam.

It took the possibility of an Open in his native Northern Ireland to regain his focus with the help of the Green Jacket.

And, as he claimed, the Claret Jug, in addition to his Portrush experience, gave him essentially everything he wanted.

After the eventual champion carded his second-round 64, no one else would ever even consider holding the most significant trophy in golf.

The tall American is far superior to the rest when it comes to delivering when the most important titles are in question, as the world rankings indicate. Following his impressive victory in the US PGA at Quail Hollow in May, this was his second major of the year.

McIlroy is still the most likely player to challenge the world number one’s dominance, despite the understandable comparisons in the post-championship debate between Scheffler’s current success and Tiger Woods’ dominance.

McIlroy won the US Open, US PGA, and The Open between June 2011 and August 2014.

It was a quick four-hole major, with eight shots left in the game, like Scheffler.

No one at the time could have anticipated McIlroy’s 11-year barren spell. However, he remained in the very top positions of the game throughout the harrowing near misses.

He has now won 67 majors and 33 of his finals were in the top 10.

No other active player can match the remarkable consistency of its extraordinarily long run.

McIlroy, who was one of only six winners of all four majors, could be happy with his accomplishments despite being formally an all-time great.

McIlroy has been doing it for a very long time, but his appetite seems to be declining.

He wants to win an Olympic medal in 2028 and is eager to contribute to another Ryder Cup victory away in September.

The struggle to escape Scheffler’s long shadow also arises.

You can only admire what he does and how he does it, McIlroy said.

“He does one thing, and how he does it is another.” He is currently the best at executing in the game because he just goes about his business and doesn’t do anything overly flamboyant.

Over the past two to three years, it has been “absolutely amazing.” You just need to tip your cap and observe with admiration.

Since 1992’s Nick Faldo, there hasn’t been another Open winner without an Englishman. However, Matt Fitzpatrick’s resumption of form was a motivating reminder of the 2022 US Open champion’s stellar pedigree.

Bob MacIntyre was beaten by Fitzpatrick by a shot in the fourth round. Following a runner-up finish at the US Open in June, the Scot placed seventh, again demonstrating his major credentials.

At seven under and in the top 20, Tyrrell Hatton passed Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, and John Parry on the final day. They also know the enemy they must defeat if they want to achieve significant success in the future.

McIlroy is currently the most likely opponent to Scheffler.

He said, “All I can do is concentrate on myself and try to play the best golf I can.”