Liverpool add more firepower with signing of Hugo Ekitike from Frankfurt

Signing of French striker takes Premier League champions' summer spending over £250 million

Hugo Ekitike scored 22 goals in 48 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2024/25 season. AP

Liverpool have completed the signing of France Under-21 international Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported £69 million, the Premier League champions confirmed late Wednesday.

The 23-year-old striker passed a medical and agreed personal terms earlier this week before joining Arne Slot’s squad for their pre-season tour of Asia, with the club announcing he will fly out to Hong Kong later this week.

“Hugo is a player with huge potential and the hunger to develop further,” Slot said. “He adds something different to our attacking options.”

The deal, which includes a further £10m in performance-related add-ons, could see the final fee rise to £79m. It takes Liverpool’s summer outlay past the £250m mark as they continue to reshape their squad following last season’s title win during Slot's first season at Anfield.

Ekitike, who scored 22 goals in 48 appearances for Frankfurt last season, was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season and helped the German side to a third-place finish. His breakout year in Germany came after a difficult stint at Paris Saint-Germain, where he struggled to find regular playing time behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Liverpool turned to Ekitike after being priced out of a move for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, who is valued at £150m by the Magpies. Both Newcastle and Manchester United had shown interest in the French forward, but Liverpool acted decisively to secure his signature.

His arrival comes at a time of change in Liverpool’s frontline. Diogo Jota’s death in a tragic car crash in Spain last month left a gaping hole in the squad. Meanwhile, Darwin Nunez is understood to be available for transfer, and Luis Diaz continues to attract interest from Bayern Munich, who had a bid rejected last week.

Ekitike joins new recruits Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in a rapidly evolving Liverpool side under Slot’s stewardship.

“Hugo has improved tremendously in his 18 months with us and has been a real asset to the club,” said Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche. “We’re proud of what he’s achieved and wish him all the best for this next chapter.”

Ekitike began his professional career with Reims, before joining PSG in 2022 and moving to Frankfurt initially on loan in early 2024.

He is the latest big-money departure from Frankfurt after forward Omar Marmoush joined Manchester City for a reported $73 million in January.

Marmoush was the team's top-scorer at the time, but Ekitike responded with his best performances in a Frankfurt shirt to help the team finish third in the Bundesliga to secure Uefa Champions League qualification.