Liverpool have agreed a £82 million deal for Hugo Ekitike, with the 23-year-old expected to sign for the Reds until 2031.
The France U21 international emerged as a key target for the Premier League champions, who accelerated efforts in the past 48 hours to finalise the transfer and make Ekitike their seventh summer signing.
Late on Saturday, transfer insider Ben Jacobs reported Liverpool’s latest offer could extend to €90 million (£78m) for the France U21 international, with negotiations around the structure of the deal.
Sparked by Newcastle United’s failed attempt to sign Ekitike, Liverpool stepped up their pursuit and became Frenchman’s preferred choice, with discussions ongoing over a deal worth in excess of the £70 million offer Newcastle had rejected earlier this week.
The Telegraph reported that personal terms had already been agreed in principle, with the striker set to sign a six-year contract at Anfield, and a statement from within Eintracht Frankfurt seemingly confirmed the striker’s impending exit.
Speaking after Eintracht’s friendly against city rivals FSV, head coach Dino Toppmöller admitted it was a ‘bitter loss’.
“He [Ekitike] didn’t play, but you can imagine everything else.
This is a bitter loss. We lost our absolute top player in the winter with Omar Marmoush [to Manchester City].
The other one [Ekitike] developed sensationally. It’s quite possible that that’s history, too. So I think we need to temper expectations a bit overall.”
Now, a new report from Florian Plettenberg confirms the deal is agreed and Ekitike will undergo a medical at Anfield in the coming days.
?? BREAKING | Hugo #Ekitike to Liverpool is considered a done deal!
A full agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt in principle has now been reached after new talks today. Transfer fee: €95 million with add-ons included.
Contract until 2031. Medical to take place soon. The next… pic.twitter.com/32eeISDuCy
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) July 20, 2025
The striker joined Eintracht Frankfurt last summer from Paris Saint-Germain and quickly established himself as one of the most exciting forwards in the Bundesliga. In his debut season, he registered 22 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, helping the club secure Champions League qualification. His performances have caught the eye of top European clubs, but it is Liverpool who appear poised to land the forward.
The move for Ekitike came amid speculation linking the Reds with other strikers, including Newcastle’s Alexander Isak. While some had suggested the Reds’ pursuit of Ekitike might be a ploy to pressure Isak into forcing a move, the level of progress with the Frankfurt forward suggests otherwise. Ekitike is clearly the priority target for the club’s recruitment team led by Richard Hughes.
The 23-year-old is viewed by Liverpool as an upgrade on Darwin Núñez and a long-term solution to the club’s attacking evolution. His ability to operate across the front line, paired with his clinical finishing and creative output, fits the profile of player Arne Slot wants to lead the line in the seasons ahead.
The proposed acquisition of Ekitike represents a clear statement of intent from Liverpool’s hierarchy, who have wasted no time backing Slot in the transfer market. The club’s focus on young, high-ceiling talents with top-level European experience is evident in their aggressive moves this summer.
Should the deal get over the line, Ekitike will become Liverpool’s third signing from the Bundesliga this summer. He would follow Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz through the door at Anfield, with the former arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in a £29.5m deal on June 1, and the latter making a blockbuster British-record £116m switch 19 days later.
With less than 24 hours to go until Arne Slot’s side fly out for their pre-season tour of Asia, the club’s urgency to close the deal is clear. If negotiations continue on their current trajectory, Ekitike could be unveiled as Liverpool’s fourth major signing of the summer as early as next week.
For all the talk of it being a power play or smokescreen from the Reds to prompt Alexander Isak to agitate for a move away from Newcastle, that Liverpool have progressed so far down the road with the Ekitike deal suggests that is unlikely.
Hugo Ekitike is the man they want and they will get, and his arrival on Merseyside is beginning to feel like a matter of when, not if.
