On Wednesday afternoon, David Ornstein dropped the news that Liverpool had made contact regarding a possible swoop for Hugo Ekitike.
The Athletic reporter revealed that, following Eintracht Frankfurt’s rejection of a £65m offer from Newcastle, the Reds have now reached out with their own attempt to win the transfer race for the French forward.
It comes amid the Premier League champions’ approach to the Tyneside club for Alexander Isak, with Richard Hughes evidently determined to recruit a marquee striker this summer, following the tragic death of Diogo Jota earlier this month.
Fjortoft: Ekitike would prefer to join Liverpool
Speaking on ESPN FC, Jan Aage Fjortoft claimed that Eintracht Frankfurt are under no pressure to cash in on Ekitike, although the 23-year-old has an apparent preference on which club to join if he does leave Deutsche Bank Park in the next few weeks.
The Norwegian pundit said: “What I do hear is that Ekitike is not for sale, but we know the strategy of Eintracht Frankfurt. They sold Kolo Muani to PSG for €95+5m (£82.4m+£4.3m). They sold Marmoush to Manchester City for €80m (£69.3m). His price tag now is €100m (£86.7m).
“If Liverpool can’t get Isak, maybe they will go for Ekitike. What I do understand is that the player prefers to play for Liverpool, but he’s very relaxed because he knows that he can play Champions League with Eintracht Frankfurt.
“For the first time in a long time, they don’t have to sell, because they’ve already [earned big money] from Champions League qualification and the sales of Marmoush and Kolo Muani, but I can tell you that Ekitike prefers Liverpool.”
Ekitike’s reported preference underlines Liverpool’s vast appeal
There are striking similarities between the situations of Isak and Ekitike. Both of their respective clubs have taken a firm ‘not-for-sale’ stance and both will feel emboldened by qualifying for the Champions League, although every player ultimately has their price.
Liverpool are highly unlikely to sign both strikers this summer but they could plausibly bring in one. The Swedish marksman appears to be the primary target, but the reported contact over his French counterpart indicates that the Reds are also serious about pursuing him in the coming weeks.
The 22-year-old’s rumoured preference for a move to Merseyside might play nicely into our hands, and although he wouldn’t come cheap at £85m+, his price range is still less prohibitive than that of the Magpies’ number 14, whose price point is reportedly £120m or more (The Athletic).
Having landed the megabucks signing of Florian Wirtz last month and seemingly being the preferred destination for Ekitike, there’s no mistaking that Anfield has become a hugely attractive landing spot for some of the most coveted players in Europe.
The Frenchman has already tasted Ligue 1 success twice at Paris Saint-Germain, but the prospect of challenging for the Premier League title with Liverpool must surely carry plenty of appeal. That seems to be the case, judging by Fjortoft’s expert insight!
