Liverpool have put paid to any notion of second-season syndrome under Arne Slot's wing by attacking the transfer market with vicious intent.
The Reds surpassed expectations by winning the Premier League last term, and they did without a proper focal frontman. Sure, Luis Diaz filled in nicely as a false nine, but Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota both flattered to deceive, and the former is at risk of being sold.
Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota converse on the bench
If and when that happens, Liverpool will need to sign a new centre-forward, and though Newcastle United's Alexander Isak appears to be off the market after securing a route back into the Champions League.
A whole host of names have been linked with a move to Anfield, and one of the most recent belongs to Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres, having reportedly made contact with the Swedish goalscorer in May.
Manchester United currently lead the race, and maybe that hints the 27-year-old might not be the best option on the market for the Merseysiders.
Still, Liverpool desperately need a new number nine.
Why Liverpool need a striker
Last season, Mohamed Salah led Liverpool to the Premier League title. Football is a team sport, and the sum of a brilliant team is greater than its individual parts, but the Egyptian King proved an exception to that rule.
Top scorers 2024-25 Premier League (timeless)
Across 52 matches in all competitions, Salah scored 34 goals and supplied his teammates with 23 assists. He leapt his way into the upper level of the all-time Premier League scoring charts, now fifth with 186 goals, one strike behind Andy Cole and two ahead of the retired Sergio Aguero.
His talismanic campaign, making good on a promise, has crowned him a two-time English league winner, picking up the sweeping gamut of individual accolades too.
Why does this matter? We were going to discuss Liverpool's interest in a new striker, after all. Well, Liverpool's main man turns 33 in just a few days, and though he's extended his record-breaking contract by two years, he cannot be expected to heave the bulk of his attacking peers in the same way.
Liverpool need someone more reliable than Nunez, who only scored seven goals last term. The likes of Gyokeres have been touted, sure, but Liverpool might have found an even better option.
Liverpool hold talks for new striker
According to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool are still interested in Eintracht Frankfurt centre-forward Hugo Ekitike, despite Chelsea making all the noise in recent weeks.
Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike-1
In fact, the reporter claims Liverpool have "held concrete talks with the player's camp", perhaps just awaiting clarity on the futures of their expendable forwards.
The major sticking point is that Frankfurt want €100m (£84m) for their rising star, but given that he's yet to fully grow into his skin, this perhaps skates beyond the line of plausibility.
Why Liverpool should sign Hugo Ekitike
Ekitike only scored four goals across 33 senior outings for Paris Saint-Germain, thus choosing to make his name away from the bloated Parisian superpower.
Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike
He hasn't looked back. After finishing the 2023/24 campaign in good form, Ekitike stepped into his first full term on strong footing, wrapping things up with 22 goals and 12 assists across 48 fixtures.
Once hailed as "the next Mbappe" by journalist Graeme Bailey, it's easy to see why he's held in such high regard, fostering a keen-edged offensive style and marrying it with his rounded underlying qualities.
Sporting's Gyokeres might be among the hottest commodities on the market, but Liverpool's data-driven system would be sure to reveal Ekitike as the more desirable pick.
Bundesliga Stats 24/25 - Hugo Ekitike
Stats (* per game)
Matches (starts)
Goals
Assists
Shots (on target)*
Big chances missed
Pass completion
Big chances created
Key passes*
Dribbles*
Duels won*
Stats via Sofascore
The key thing is he's finding his feet in front of goal and boasts a combative and creative underlying skill set. For sure, Gyokeres has proven to be a more clinical goalscorer in Portugal, but Ekitike's multi-faceted game suggests his ceiling his higher, having already been hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson as "one of the best centre-forwards out there."
Further to that point, Nunez was as prolific as they come for Benfica before Liverpool paid the big bucks to bring him over to England, scoring 34 goals across 41 games in 2021/22.
Ekitike, however, bespeaks completeness through his data. As per FBref, he ranked among the top 10% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues last year for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 4% for progressive carries and successful take-ons and the top 19% for ball recoveries per 90.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
Athletic and dynamic, the archetype for greatness is right there, especially when considering he's five years Gyokeres' junior too.
Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike celebrates
Journalist Bence Bocsak recently discussed Anfield's interest in the "unique talent", going on to say, "For the right price, Ekitike would be the perfect forward at Liverpool under Arne Slot."
Finances will, of course, hold sway in the decision-making, and Liverpool (like Chelsea) aren't likely to fork out something in the ballpark of £84m for a raw centre-forward, his potential untapped.
Ekitike truly is the perfect profile to unify Liverpool's frontline over the coming years. Would Gyokeres bring a consistent supply of goals? Yes, he would. But is he the perfect man for the job?
In Ekitike, Slot can fashion a superstar, and that's the Liverpool way.
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