Liverpool sign striker Ekitike for initial £69m

Hugo Ekitike’s signing for an initial sum of £69 million, subject to international clearance, has been completed by Liverpool.

The Frenchman, 23, has completed a medical examination and entered into contractual terms.

Later this week, Ekitike will depart for Liverpool’s pre-season tour of Asia.

Early this week, Frankfurt accepted a deal worth £79 million with a guaranteed investment of £69 million and £10 million in add-ons.

His arrival results in Liverpool spending more than £250 million this summer.

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 and added eight assists.

Ekitike represents Frankfurt’s most recent hiring success.

He had a bit of a hole when he joined Frankfurt on loan in the early 2024, but he was still unknown.

When he arrived at Reims, he had attracted the interest of other clubs, including Newcastle.

Ekitike made the decision to join Paris St-Germain, but he was unable to overcome the pressure of the wealthy in the attacking department.

A year ago, Frankfurt acquired him and permanently signed him.

Under Dino Toppmoller’s management, he played one striker for the team and as a partner.

Ekitike and Omar Marmoush formed a terrifying duo during the first half of the season. However, this was ended when Marmoush was acquired by Manchester City for £63million in January.

Instead of acquiring Marmoush, Frankfurt changed its tactical setup. Ekitike started the campaign with two attacking midfielders in front of him.

Ekitike is versatile, not a box-trained striker who only feels at home. Both Marmoush and he constantly swapped positions when they were together.

Ekitike may not be the most dynamic player, but he can make wise plays to pass defenders.

In 31 Bundesliga games last year, Ekitike contributed eight goals and 15 assists, which is the fifth-highest total of goal involvements in the division. In addition, he placed fifth in the Bundesliga in terms of “attacking sequences.”

That can be interpreted as demonstrating how effective Ekitike is overall, whether it is passing the ball, running into channels, or coming in behind.

In that regard, he is very similar to Alexander Isak, but with much more flair and a talent for kicking players off. In most ways, in fact, he is very similar.

In 2024-25, he created more chances from open play (44) than any other Bundesliga player, making especially good at setting up team-mates.

The only thing that worries me is how unfocused Ekitike is in front of goal. He converted a disappointing 12.8% in the Bundesliga last season, which was a higher gap than any other player in Europe’s “Big Five” leagues, resulting in an overall underperformance of 6.6 goals.

That simply means that Ekitike needs some tuning.