Hugo Ekitike joins Liverpool in £79m deal as Reds continue spending spree

Liverpool have completed the £79m deal to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt. The France under-21 striker has signed a six-year deal to keep him at Anfield until 2031.

Liverpool beat Newcastle to landing the 23-year-old front man but were confident they were always leading the race and did not make a late move.

They have been considering a swoop for him since January, held talks with his camp around then and boss Arne Slot spoke to the player at the end of the season.

Ekitike scored 22 goals last season in all competitions but there’s belief within Liverpool that he can surpass those numbers significantly to become a deadly striker and one of the best in the world because of his other statistics.

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The deal is £69m up front with a further £10m in add ons. The data they have used to decide on the significant investment gives them confidence more goals will come.

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak was considered more of a guaranteed success but the Magpies insist he’s not for sale. Data shows only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe had better potential than Ekitike at 23 in recent years.

Manchester United did make a late move to sign the French forward with Christopher Vivell contacting Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche but the player was only interested in Liverpool.

Liverpool didn’t enter the negotiation until Newcastle had nearly agreed a deal as they didn’t want a bidding war. The Reds see Ekitike as a No 9 who can also play deeper and wide to make him a versatile option.

Ekitike completed his move in London and will now fly to Asia to link up with his new team-mates in Hong Kong. The deal takes Liverpool’s spending to just shy of £300m.

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