Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike reportedly prefers a move to Liverpool rather than their Premier League rivals.
The Reds are keen to sign a striker this summer, as they look to find a long-term replacement for Darwin Nunez, who has been poor over the past couple of seasons.
The Uruguayan has scored 40 goals in 143 games since joining Liverpool in 2022. He has also missed the most ‘big chances’ per game in the Premier League.
It now seems that the 26-year-old will leave Anfield, amid reported interest from Serie A side Napoli. With that in mind, Liverpool will need to find a replacement. They have an interest in Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, but priced at £150m, it is unlikely that the Reds can afford him. So they will have to look at other targets.
One such name that the Reds have been linked with other than Isak, is Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who has also been linked with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea this summer.
He is understood to command a transfer fee of £85m, which is the asking price that the Bundesliga have put on the 23-year-old Frenchman. Last season, Ekitike scored 22 goals and provided 12 assists in 48 games for Frankfurt.
According to a fresh report by CaughtOffside, Liverpool boss Arne Slot has now made Ekitike a priority after being priced out of a move for Isak. The report also states that the French striker is aware of Liverpool’s interest alongside several other Premier League teams.
He reportedly prefers a move to Anfield, and is prepared to wait until the Reds have offloaded players such as Darwin Nunez, so that they can facilitate a move to sign Ekitike. This is a huge boost for Liverpool, because if they could sign him over their rivals, they wouldn’t only have a superb striker, but they will have prevented Arsenal, United and Chelsea from signing him too.
