Jamie Carragher may yet see his wish come true as Liverpool see the door swing open for an £85 million centre-forward who could add another dimension to Arne Slot’s Premier League-winning squad.
If there is one thing this Liverpool team are missing – and there isn’t much – it’s an elite centre-forward.
Darwin Nunez looks destined to leave Anfield after two years in which his reputation as one of the most dead-eyed marksmen in European football has been beaten black and blue. And as Diogo Jota becomes the latest Liverpool player to find himself on the Saudi Arabian radar – Luis Diaz has Middle Eastern admirers too – there is a chance that neither of Slot’s more natural number nines will be around to defend the title in 2024/25.
This, then, is where Hugo Ekitike comes in.
Liverpool will be priced out off signing Alexander Isak, meaning the similarly elegant and almost-as-prolific Ekitike could emerge as as the club’s number one alternative.
Frankfurt board member ‘realistic’ about Liverpool target Hugo Ekitike
Ekitike will not come cheap either, of course. Eintracht Frankfurt value the former PSG youngster at £85 million.
The Eagles have earned top dollar in the recent past when selling the likes of Luka Jovic, Omar Marmoush and Randal Kolo Muani, and there is no reason to believe things will be any different with Ekitike.
On the other hand, Frankfurt’s reputation as a selling club – albeit one of the most prosperous ‘selling clubs’ around – means the door will always be open for big-spending suitors to put their money where their mouth is.
Axel Hellmann, a former CEO and now board member at the Bundesliga outfit, knows that his desire to see Ekitike wear the red and black for the next decade is very unlikely to become reality.
“I would love to have him at Frankfurt for another ten years, if possible,” Hellmann begins. “But we are realistic. He is one of the best high-potential players in Europe at the moment and he is only 22. That means he has a great future.
“He is a clever guy. He loves to listen and learn. I would love him to stay another couple of years. But the market is the market and half of the Premier League clubs are interested in signing him.”
In addition to Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have already been mentioned in the media. Hellmann’s suggestion that ‘half of the Premier League’ are watching a player to snubbed Newcastle for PSG, however, highlights the sheer extent of the battle Liverpool are likely to face.
“Besides the Premier League, there are other markets for him that he has opened doors to with his performances,” Hellmann adds, hinting at a potential future in Spain.
“I think he would also fit in other leagues and with big clubs in Southern Europe.”
Jamie Carragher urges Liverpool to buy Ekitike and Milos Kerkez
Tall and rangy yet extremely skilfull, Ekitike has 22 goals and ten assists for Eintracht Frankfurt this season. More of a Roberto Firmino than he is a Darwin Nunez, his intelligent positioning and excellent footwork could also make Ekitike the perfect foil for a rampaging Salah or an ever-improving Cody Gakpo.
Former Champions League winner Carragher wants Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez at Liverpool this summer. The Bournemouth left-back and the French forward headlining a six-man influx.
“We have got to be realistic. And we’ve got to remember [director] Richard Hughes came from Bournemouth,” Carragher points out. “He brought Kerkez to the club, the left-back who has been fantastic.
“He obviously likes him. He must have a relationship with the player and the agent. So that one, I look at that and I think it probably makes sense.
“I mean, the striker everyone would love is Isak,” the former Anfield stalwart adds. “I don’t think we are in a position where there is absolutely great centre-forwards all across Europe and you can take your pick.
“Do I think Liverpool could buy Isak? I don’t know. I don’t know if Liverpool would want to pay that type of money for one player. I don’t think that’s the model. I think the model is ‘We will get the next Isak’. I don’t think they’ll absolutely break the bank.
“There’s the lad at Eintracht Frankfurt, who scored against Tottenham [in the Europa League]. Ekitike, that smacks to me the type of player Liverpool would sign.”
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