Liverpool star Hugo Ekitike has been linked with a shock move away from the club this summer, with Real Madrid reportedly eyeing him up.
The Frenchman has been one of the few positives in a tough season at Anfield, hitting the ground running and being lauded by former England striker Jermain Defoe earlier in the campaign:
“He can do everything. And I did the game. I went to the game against Bournemouth, first game of the season at Anfield. I just watched him and I watched his movement. How he comes off, his timing of his movement and soft touches. The timing of his runs, the opposite movement, the finishing.”
Ekitike is surely one of Liverpool’s most prized assets moving forward, but according to a worrying fresh claim from TEAMtalk, Madrid are keen on signing him in the summer transfer window.
The Spanish giants are thought to be “firmly tracking his rapid development” for the Reds, and he has “climbed sharply up their internal rankings in recent months.”
The report goes on to add that Ekitike is seen by Madrid as “one of the most promising young forwards in world football”, with his overall profile “fitting their long-term succession planning in attack.”
Liverpool cannot afford to lose Hugo Ekitike this summer
There are likely to be summer departures alongside Mohamed Salah at Liverpool this summer – Andy Robertson could also leave, for example – but Ekitike simply cannot afford to be one of them.
The 23-year-old has been a breath of fresh air since his £79m summer arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 11 goals in 21 Premier League starts, as well as becoming a fan favourite because of his charismatic personality.
Ekitike has to be seen as one of the poster boys at Liverpool in the coming years, along with the likes of Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai, and any potential interest from Madrid will surely be turned down.
The France international is still at an age where he should only get better, and the thought of him linking with Wirtz and Alexander Isak in the Reds’ attack for a long time to come is a mouthwatering prospect for supporters.