Ekitike won’t train with Liverpool squad yet as arrival date confirmed | OneFootball

Liverpool’s newest attacking addition won’t immediately be with the rest of the squad for our pre-season work in Asia – but he will be flying out later this week.

The club confirmed the signing of Hugo Ekitike on Wednesday evening, but fans hoping to see the Frenchman in action straight away will have to wait a little longer.

As reported via liverpoolfc.com, the 23-year-old has completed his medical and agreed personal terms, but international clearance is still required before he can officially link up with us on tour.

That means Arne Slot’s squad will remain without their £69 million forward, though the Frenchman is expected to board a separate flight and join his teammates before the weekend.

The timing adds an interesting wrinkle to our head coach’s plans, especially with two important pre-season fixtures lined up in quick succession.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt striker will need to get up to speed fast as the Dutchman continues preparations for his second campaign in charge.

When Ekitike will join Liverpool’s squad on pre-season tour

Picture via liverpoolfc.com

The 23-year-old is expected to land in Hong Kong later this week, allowing him to take part in at least one of our tour matches – likely the clash with Yokohama FM.

Ekitike will be eager to make a strong first impression after a 26-goal campaign for Frankfurt, a season which earned him a place in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.

He becomes the sixth signing of the summer, joining Florian Wirtz – who is also featuring in Asia – as part of a rebuilt and refreshed attack.

Liverpool have already signed Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez to bolster both full-back positions, while Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to compete for the goalkeeper spot after finishing last season at Valencia.

What Slot will want from his new forward in Hong Kong

(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

With Darwin Nunez increasingly expected to leave, and Luis Diaz attracting interest from Barcelona and Bayern, there’s every chance the France U21 international could have a real shot at becoming our starting striker.

Whether Ekitike will be ready to play in our next friendly remains to be seen, but his presence in the second match could be key.

The delay to his arrival means there’s no shirt number announced yet either – another decision being held back until the new Adidas kit launch on 1st August.

Still, fans will be excited to get their first glimpse of the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker in red – even if that glimpse comes a few days later than expected.

Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobile