Cliff Notes – Liverpool agree £79m deal for striker Hugo Ekitike

Liverpool have finalised a £79 million deal for striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, including an initial fee of £69 million and £10 million in potential add-ons.
Ekitike has agreed to a six-year contract and is set to travel to the UK for a medical, aiming to join Liverpool’s preseason tour in Asia.
The 21-year-old forward, who scored 15 goals in 33 Bundesliga appearances last season, hopes that joining Liverpool will enhance his chances of making the French national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Sources: Liverpool agree £79m deal for striker Hugo Ekitike

Julien Laurens

Beth Lindop

CorrespondentBased in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN’s Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.Jul 21, 2025, 12:05 PM

Liverpool are finalizing a move for Hugo Ekitike after they reached a deal worth up to £79 million ($106m) with Eintracht Frankfurt, sources told ESPN.

The deal includes an initial fee of £69m ($92.7m) with £10m ($13.4m) in potential add-ons.

Ekitike has agreed terms on a six-year contract. A source told ESPN he has been granted permission to travel to the UK to complete the deal and is expected to arrive for a medical on Tuesday.

It is hoped that he will be able to join Liverpool for their preseason tour of Asia, which begins with a clash against AC Milan in Hong Kong on Saturday.

Sources told ESPN that Ekitike had long been keen on the idea of joining Liverpool, despite being linked with Newcastle United and Manchester United.

Hugo Ekitike will likely join Liverpool for their preseason tour of Asia. Arne Dedert/picture alliance via Getty Images

ESPN previously reported that Newcastle saw a £64.5m ($86.3m) bid rejected by Frankfurt last week. They also rejected an approach from Liverpool for their own star striker, Alexander Isak.

Ekitike has already spoken to Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who detailed his vision for him as a No. 9 in his side.

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The move comes after he scored 15 goals in 33 games for Frankfurt in the Bundesliga last season.

Ekitike joined Frankfurt in February 2024 from Paris Saint-Germain, who are due 20% (£13.8m) of his transfer fee this summer.

He is yet to make his international debut for France, but a source has told ESPN he believes that signing for Liverpool and playing in the Premier League could enable him to break into the national team ahead of next summer’s 2026 World Cup.