Hugo Ekitike has been one of the few Liverpool summer signings to impress in 2025/26 so far.
On the back of his arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt, Wayne Rooney praised Ekitike.
Former player Emile Heskey has shared a similarly positive view of the Liverpool striker, explaining how he has hit the ground running at Anfield.
The Frenchman has six goals to his name this term, and part of the reason he has been the Reds’ best-performing summer signing may well be down to his connection with Ibrahima Konate.
Hugo Ekitike’s connection with Ibrahima Konate
Speaking back in September, Ekitike highlighted Konate’s importance and shared how his fellow countryman helped him settle at Liverpool.
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He said: “I think the most important person when I came here was Ibou to be honest.
“He’s been in the club for four years, so he knows everything here, he knows the people so he helped me a lot with everything off the pitch and on the pitch.”
The centre-back’s future at Anfield remains up in the air, with his current contract set to expire at the end of June 2026.
However, it has now been reported on Friday that while Liverpool remain in talks over a new deal for the stopper, Real Madrid no longer want Konate.
The Spanish powerhouse could have agreed a pre-contract with the defender as early as January. But now that they are out of the running for his signature, it does seem a lot more likely he will agree a new deal with the Reds, which should delight Ekitike.
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Konate is expected to feature this weekend as Liverpool take on West Ham in the Premier League.
Ahead of the game, there were some concerns about Ekitike after he was taken off against PSV with a back issue.
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However, Slot shared a Liverpool injury update before Sunday’s match, and it looks as though the striker may be in contention.
He said: “Hugo today was recovery, but they don’t expect that it has to be a big issue.
“But games come fast, so let’s see for the weekend. It shouldn’t have to be a big issue.”
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