Liverpool fans should have Eikitike concern as worrying Frankfurt trend emerges
Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, in a big-money deal.
Enquiries were made over Newcastle star Alexander Isak in recent days, but with a move unlikely, the Reds have swooped quickly to sign the Frankfurt sensation.
Liverpool are set to pay a total package of around £82 million, inclusive of add-ons, for the 23-year-old, who will become Frankfurt’s record sale.
Several attackers have departed Frankfurt for bigger clubs and huge fees in recent years, but it is a mixed bag in terms of how successful the signings have been.
Frankfurt record sales sparks Ekitike concern
Ekitike’s move to Liverpool will be Frankfurt’s second major sale to the Premier League in the last two windows, after Omar Marmoush moved to Manchester City in January.
In a short period, Marmoush has impressed under Pep Guardiola, but worryingly, he is arguably the most successful of Frankfurt’s big-money striker sales.
Ekitike’s exit will mean his fee eclipses what Paris Saint-Germain paid for Randal Kolo Muani back in 2023, with the France star since joining Juventus on loan after failing to impress in his native country.
| Player | Exit fee (including add-ons) | Frankfurt goals |
| Randal Kolo Muani | £76.4m | 26 |
| Omar Marmoush | £63.2m | 37 |
| Luka Jovic | £52.4m | 40 |
| Sebastian Haller | £45m | 33 |
| Andre Silva | £20m | 45 |
After the aforementioned pair, Frankfurt’s other record striker sales include Luka Jovic, who was a disaster at Real Madrid, and Sebastian Haller, who failed to make a lasting impact at West Ham.
Andre Silva is next on the list, and while his best form came at Frankfurt, he failed to replicate this elsewhere.
Ekitike has scored 26 goals for Frankfurt in his two seasons there, meaning everyone except Kolo Muani had outscored him before their moves, but he did also provide 14 assists in that time.
Ekitike signing a gamble for Liverpool
The fee, and the potential opportunity to sign Isak instead have both raised questions about Liverpool’s move for Ekitike, and there is an element of risk with the deal.
Ekitike will become Liverpool’s second-biggest transfer in history after Florian Wirtz joined earlier this summer, and there will be pressure on him to deliver from the get-go.
While the Frenchman may not be as experienced as some of the other strikers on the market, his underlying performance numbers are comparable to Isak’s, and at 23, he could prove to be a strong long-term option.
Liverpool will hope that in the right system, and alongside players such as Wirtz and Mohamed Salah, that Ekitike can hit the ground running and offer the Reds a different dimension in attack, but they will be wary about how other promising strikers at Frankfurt have fared since leaving.
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