Liverpool confirm the signing French international Hugo Ekitike

Liverpool have confirmed the signing of French forward Hugo Ekitiké from Eintracht Frankfurt in a hefty £69 million deal, which can rise to £79 million with performance-based add‑ons. The 23-year-old striker has signed a six-year contract and is set to join the squad for their preseason tour of Asia.

Ekitiké enjoyed a breakout 2024–25 Bundesliga season, scoring 15 goals in 33 league appearances and adding four more during Frankfurt’s run to the Europa League quarter-finals. His overall tally reached an impressive 22 goals and 12 assists across all competitions.. He was also named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season, underscoring his impact at the highest level.

Arne Slot described Ekitiké as a “versatile forward” who can play centrally or drift wide—providing tactical flexibility to Liverpool’s attack . The Dutch manager’s early-season meeting with the striker reportedly played a crucial role in swaying him from rival suitors like Newcastle United and Manchester United.

Liverpool reportedly adopted a strategic approach, waiting for Newcastle to raise their offer before stepping in—mirroring the tactic used when signing Luis Díaz.

This signing follows a major summer overhaul that includes the arrivals of Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Milos Mamardashvili, and record-breaking midfielder Florian Wirtz—taking spending close to £300 million. The addition of Ekitiké is expected to intensify competition in the front line, with Darwin Núñez now facing the strongest challenge yet for his place.

Liverpool will begin their Premier League title defence against Bournemouth on 15 August, and Ekitiké could feature as early as their friendly against AC Milan in Hong Kong. The attacker has now become the fifth most expensive French player after the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele:

€180M = Kylian Mbappé

€135M = Ousmane Dembélé

€120M = Antoine Griezmann

€105M = Paul Pogba

€95M = Kolo Muani

€95M = Hugo Ekitike.