Liverpool has supposedly thrown its hat into the ring for the Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who comes with a hefty $113 million (£84 million) price tag set by the German club.
Discussions, according to Sky Germany, are even claimed to be already underway, with Arne Slot and Michael Edwards both said to be fans of the French talent. The Merseyside outfit is not dragging its feet in getting its summer dealings sorted and appears ready to splash the cash.
The Reds are keen on wrapping up a deal for Bayer Leverkusen wing-back Jeremie Frimpong and are continuing negotiations for a blockbuster $100M-plus move for Florian Wirtz.
Ekitike has supposedly been pinpointed as a potential addition, with Chelsea also eyeing the 22-year-old, who has flourished since his departure from PSG. He's just celebrated his most prolific season yet, surpassing the 20-goal mark for the first time.
While Frankfurt hasn't received any formal bids yet, its sporting director, Markus Krosche, isn't shutting the door on a possible departure from Deutsche Bank Park, suggesting they're open to letting players go if they believe they've outpaced the club's growth.
"He's one of the most interesting strikers on the European market," Krosche told Sport 1. "Hugo has to decide. I'm glad we have him. If he decides otherwise, that's our motto: If a player develops faster than us, we let him go."
(Image: 2025 Sebastian El-Saqqa - firo sportphoto)
Frankfurt's knack for spotting striking talent has paid dividends, contributing to its third-place finish and securing of Champions League soccer this season. Earlier in January, it sanctioned Omar Marmoush's transfer to Manchester City for a cool $80 million (£59 million).
Liverpool is scouring the market for additional attacking talent as it aims to lighten Mohamed Salah's load. Slot, who guided the Reds to a Premier League triumph, is set to intensify the squad's recruitment strategy after a notably subdued transfer window last year.
The club's pursuit of fresh offensive options comes amid speculation over the futures of several players. Darwin Nunez has yet to make his mark at Liverpool and has drawn interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia.
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Slot recently spoke about the team's aspirations for the upcoming transfer window, saying live on Sky Sports: "I don't know if it's going to be a lot but we know, the club, Richard [Hughes], the ownership, we are all aligned on what we are trying to achieve.
"It is already very, very positive that we kept Mo and Virgil and a few others that we are trying to sign look positive."
Liverpool.com says: Ekitike is a talented player and there are reasons to admire his game. His numbers this season have been good and he has plenty of potential still to be realized.
However, for $113M, Liverpool would need to view Ekitike as a game-changer. At this stage of his career, he isn't that. It would surely need to be a much lower fee to tempt the Reds to the table.