Latest Liverpool news and rumours including rumoured striker target and Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike
Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt is among the names linked with Liverpool this summer
Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt is among the names linked with Liverpool this summer
Rumoured Liverpool transfer target Hugo Ekitike has dropped a potential hint about where his future may lie beyond this season.
The Eintracht Frankfurt striker has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League, following in the footsteps of his former teammate Omar Marmoush, who joined Manchester City from the Bundesliga side during the January transfer window. A number of English clubs are in the market for attacking reinforcements this summer, including Liverpool, with the future of Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez still uncertain.
With standout candidate Alexander Isak seemingly unattainable from Newcastle United this summer, other names have emerged in recent months, including Ekitike. The 22-year-old France youth international joined Frankfurt from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, having spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan at the German club.
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This season, he has scored 22 goals and registered 12 assists for Frankfurt across all competitions. Unsurprisingly, he has attracted the attention of several top Premier League clubs, but with a contract running until 2029, the striker is expected to command a fee in excess of £80 million this summer.
In a potential setback for his suitors, it remains unclear whether the player has any intention of leaving Frankfurt, having just completed his first full season at the club. The 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign concluded on Saturday, with Frankfurt securing a place in next season’s Champions League following a 3-1 win over top-four rivals SC Freiburg.
Ekitike wasn’t on the scoresheet in that match but did provide the assist for Rasmus Kristensen’s goal that put Frankfurt 2-1 ahead in the second half. After the game, the Frenchman shared a post on Instagram with the caption: “Yea you can write that in the books. We go to Champions League.”
Next season will mark only the third time in Frankfurt’s history that they will compete in the Champions League. The German club reached the final in 1960, and then progressed to the round of 16 over 60 years later in the 2022/23 season.
The significance of this achievement and what it represents for the club could influence Ekitike’s decision to stay for another season. His Instagram post suggests genuine excitement at the prospect of playing in Europe's premier competition with Frankfurt next term.