Sky Sports say Liverpool have £69m deal agreed for Ekitike | OneFootball

Liverpool have taken a major step toward securing Hugo Ekitike, with Sky Sports reporting that we’ve agreed a fixed fee of £69 million with Eintracht Frankfurt for the French striker.

Talks are ongoing over add-on bonuses which could take the total package to £78 million, but both clubs are said to be confident the deal will be finalised in the coming days.

It’s understood we turned our full attention to the 23-year-old once it became clear Alexander Isak was not for sale, following Newcastle’s firm stance on keeping their No.14.

That prompted swift action from our recruitment team, and Sky Sports confirm that Ekitike’s preferred destination is Liverpool, despite interest from other clubs including the Magpies.

The forward was notably left on the bench for Frankfurt’s friendly against FSV Frankfurt on Saturday, with the German club’s manager telling Sky Germany: “it would be a bitter loss” should Ekitike leave.

Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool: deal structure and next steps

(Photo by Simon Hofmann/Getty Images)

Ekitike enjoyed a breakout season in 2024/25, scoring 22 goals in 48 games and firing Frankfurt into the Champions League.

He arrived from PSG midway through the previous campaign and has developed into one of the Bundesliga’s most complete young forwards, capable of playing across the front three but most lethal through the middle.

This would be the second time this summer that Liverpool have gone big on Bundesliga talent, having already signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a record-breaking £116m transfer.

Ekitike in but who could go the other way?

(Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

With Darwin Nunez linked with moves to Napoli and Saudi Arabia, Ekitike’s potential arrival would offer a fresh solution at No.9.

It also strengthens our attacking depth alongside Luis Diaz, who remains the subject of external interest.

There’s still some work to be done on the structure of the bonuses, but if things go to plan, this will be another major win for Arne Slot in his second summer window.

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