Hugo Ekitike leaves Eintracht Frankfurt
Liverpool FC have completed the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike for a fee of €95m, including add-ons. With this fee, Ekitike becomes Eintracht’s new record-sale, ahead of Omar Marmoush (€75m) and Randal Kolo Muani (€90m). The Frenchman leaves the club after just 18 months, having scored 26 goals and provided 14 assists.
After a lot of speculation in recent weeks, Hugo Ekitike’s move away from Eintracht Frankfurt is now a done deal. According to a report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Liverpool agreed a deal this morning with Eintracht Frankfurt to secure the signing of Ekitike ahead of Newcastle United, for a fee totalling €95m.
Hugo Ekitike will become Liverpool’s second most expensive signing ever, behind Florian Wirtz. The Frenchman is expected to become Arne Slot’s primary striker, after the Reds failed in their pursuit of signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle.
Ekitike’s quick rise to the top
Since signing from PSG in January 2024 for just €16.5m, Hugo Ekitike’s development at Eintracht Frankfurt has been nothing short of incredible. As publicly announced by the club upon his arrival, Ekitike was joining the club relatively unfit, having played just one game for PSG the entire season leading up to his move. Despite this, he quickly became a fan favourite among Eagles supporters, who admired him for his combination of trickery and flair, with deadly directness in his dribbling and a clinical finish. In 64 games for the Eagles across all competitions, the 23-year-old recorded 40 goal involvements.
Ready to take the Premier League by storm
Now Ekitike takes the next step in his career, joining one of the world’s top clubs and the reigning champions of the Premier League. He signs a 6-year deal for the Red’s, and completes a front-four consisting of Luis Diaz, Mo Salah, and Florian Wirtz. After his first ‘big move’ to PSG wasn’t exactly a success, Ekitike will be keen to show the world he is able to compete at the elite level of football.
Smart business from Eintracht
Meanwhile, Eintracht Frankfurt finalise their third high-profile sale of recent years, with Hugo Ekitike now topping that growing list of prominent departures. Despite a sell-on fee agreed with PSG of around 15-20%, over €80m will remain in generated transfer income, which will allow the club to complete several more signings this summer to bolster the squad for the upcoming Champions League campaign. Ritsu Doan is expected to arrive very soon, and the search for another striker is already in the works, with Franjo Ivanovic (Union SG) and Georges Mikautadze (Lyon) currently favourites to replace Ekitike.
