According to the most recent report, Hugo Ekitike, striker for Eintracht Frankfurt, has finished the majority of his Liverpool medical examinations.
With the club having reached an agreement with Frankfurt for Ekitike worth an initial £69 million, which could increase to £79 million, the Reds’ summer spending spree appears to be continuing.
Given that current striker Darwin Nunez has continuously let the team down, supporters are thrilled about the possibility of the Frenchman establishing himself as the starting number nine.
Supporters are eagerly awaiting his debut, which could happen on Saturday against AC Milan in Hong Kong, now that a deal has been reached.
Ekitike would need to finish his medical before he could play, but according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the 23-year-old passed the majority of his tests on Tuesday and is expected to sign a six-year contract.
Nunez only scored seven goals for Eintracht Frankfurt last season, whereas Ekitike scored 22 goals across all competitions, outperforming Nunez in front of goal.
With 12 assists, the French star also demonstrated his creative ability. With eight league assists, he tied for eighth place in the division, only four behind famed creator Florian Wirtz (12).
Although Nunez only contributed five assists, it should be mentioned that Ekitike played 3,618 minutes for Liverpool in 2024–25, while Nunez only played 2,058 minutes.
Given that Ekitike’s return of 15 Bundesliga goals meant he greatly underperformed his xG total of 21.6, it is possible that the two have similar finishing problems in the final third.
But while Nunez’s shooting is more inconsistent, Ekitike has demonstrated that he can score from high-probability opportunities close to the six-yard box.
Reds manager Arne Slot has frequently expressed his wish for Liverpool’s striker to act as a facilitator, so it’s not shocking that he used a false nine to maximize the performance of Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, two wide attackers, last season.
While Ekitike feels at ease receiving passes in deeper zones, Nunez is more of a traditional nine and likes to play on the last line of defense.
Actually, in 2024–25, the Frankfurt star made more passes per 90 in the Bundesliga (22.6) than Nunez did in the Premier League (18.3).
It would be shocking if Ekitike wasn’t starting at number nine the following season, and it is reasonable to assume that he would be more stylistically suited to playing as a striker under Slot.