Liverpool Football Club is on the verge of an historic signing. Furthermore, they’ve said yes to a set fee of £69 million (€80 million) with Eintracht Frankfurt for the various talented ahead, Hugo Ekitike. The agreement comes a year after Ekitike’s breakout performance. He scored 22 goals in 48 appearances overall and was very much instrumental in leading Frankfurt to a full season of UEFA Champions League.
With negotiations having started earlier this week, advocates hope the momentum carries through. Liverpool had switched focus from Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak upon realizing he was not obtainable. Ekitike has said he is keen on a switch to the Premier League, with Liverpool said to be the leading light of interest.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Reaction
Eintracht Frankfurt’s leadership is still coming to terms with Ekitike’s departure, calling it “a steep blow.” The club’s head coach voiced his concern over the impending departure, recognizing Ekitike’s value to the team.
Ekitike, an unused substitute in Frankfurt’s recent pre-season match against FSV Frankfurt, has generated considerable interest in the transfer market. The current media scrimmage around various performance-related bonuses in his transfer agreement implies both teams are still just hungry to hash out details favorably and move along.
“These were players with similar profiles from teams that were better than our team, but not at the distance Paris Saint-Germain were from us.” – Oscar Garcia
A Rising Star
The path of Hugo Ekitike to stardom was anything but a linear trajectory. Prior to his breakout season at Reims, he had never found the back of the net in France’s top tier. He spent the second half of the last campaign on loan at Vejle Boldklub. Upon going back to Reims, he was the fourth-choice forward. Boy did he make jaws drop with his focus and skill.
Oscar Garcia, Ekitike’s head coach at Reims last season, swiftly identified a future talent. Specifically, he challenged him to continue his form to hit the heights of the world’s best strikers, such as Kylian Mbappe. Ekitike replied to that challenge with ambition, aiming to become an elite talent himself in just a few months’ time.
“We challenged him to reach the level of the other two strikers.” – Oscar Garcia
Interest from Other Clubs
Liverpool in hot pursuit with rejected Newcastle United offer. The Magpies had tabled a club-record £70 million for the forward. Regardless of that disappointment, Liverpool’s higher-ups feel Ekitike is a worthwhile investment to their attacking core.
Oscar Garcia on what’s impressed him about Ekitike’s character. Among other things, he had noticed other coaches found Ekitike “a little bit arrogant” for expressing his ambition to one day be among the best players. It’s actually his drive and ambition that’s landed him on the shortlist to be one of Europe’s most in-demand young talents.
“He always was a talented player but some coaches did not like him because of his profile and sometimes because of his character.” – Oscar Garcia
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