Liverpool fans will love what Hugo Ekitike did before agreeing deal at Anfield
Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The French striker becomes Arne Slot’s fourth signing of the summer in a deal which could rise to £79million.
It takes Liverpool’s spending above £250m for the summer, following the signings of Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
It took a while for Liverpool to finalise the deal, but Ekitike will now join his new teammates on their pre-season tour of Asia.
And Liverpool fans will love to hear what he did in the days before finalising his transfer.
Ekitike turned down late advances from Manchester United
Ekitike’s transfer fee puts him among the most expensive purchases from Premier League clubs.
Liverpool have seemingly showed no hesitation in spending that money though, and he has already been given the seal of approval from club legends like Ian Rush.
Ekitike had been on the radar of several Premier League clubs, but there was no lengthy transfer saga once Liverpool had a bid accepted. It only took a few deals for The Reds to agree terms with the 23-year-old after that.
With that said, The Times (24 July) reports that Ekitike turned down late interest from Manchester United before signing his Liverpool contract.
The Red Devils had supposedly made a last-minute attempt to hijack the transfer, but Ekitike had no interest in communicating with them.
Manchester United and Liverpool are no longer direct rivals in the transfer market
Manchester United and Liverpool remain fierce rivals on the pitch, but it would be inaccurate to say they are still competing in the transfer market.
Sadly for those affiliated to United, there are no top-class players who would even dream of moving to Old Trafford anymore.
If Liverpool and United were both competing for a player in the past, it would give them serious food for thought.
During United’s glory years, they would always be favourites to win a transfer race against any other Premier League club
Now, players like Ekitike are simply brushing their interest aside.
| Hugo Ekitike Eintracht Frankfurt statistics | |
| Signed | August 2024 |
| Appearances | 48 |
| Goals | 22 |
Top players want to move to clubs that compete for trophies. Clubs with stable foundations and a clear vision for the future.
These qualities have allowed Liverpool to be successful in their pursuit of top European talent, while United are forced to settle for stars of mid-table teams.
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