Liverpool agree fee for Hugo Ekitike as Frankfurt star to become latest addition

Liverpool will sign Hugo Ekitike from Frankfurt after the Reds agreed a structured deal for the 23-year-old, who will become the latest new face at Anfield this summer

Hugo Ekitike is set to fly to Liverpool on Tuesday to undergo a medical after Liverpool agreed a £79m deal for the Eintracht Frankfurt forward.

The Reds will pay £69m initially with a further £10m due in add ons, with the added fees down to club and player performance across the length of his contract. Liverpool are looking to agree a six-year contract with the player to keep him at Anfield until 2031.

Those details are yet to be finalised but they will be once the France U21 international arrives on Merseyside. Liverpool players and staff have headed for the Far East to continue their pre-season preparations with Hong Kong their first stop.

But medical staff and sporting director Richard Hughes will remain at the club’s training ground to finalise Ekitike’s move.

The player will fly to Asia once the deal is complete to meet up with his new team-mates. The add-ons in the deal are linked to trophies for the club and very high player performance, much like the Florian Wirtz transfer.

Newcastle pulled out of the race for Ekitike last week once the player informed them he had a preference to move to Liverpool. The Magpies had a £70m offer rejected but they were short on the add-ons which Frankfurt pushed for.

Liverpool were interested in Newcastle forward Alexander Isak but the North East club remain adamant he is not for sale, but Liverpool's interest appears to have unsettled the Swedish forward, who pulled out of a friendly against Celtic at the weekend.

The Magpies had been keen to let it be known that they wanted both Isak and Ekitike in their squad for the coming season, but that was severely doubted due to both financial and tactical issues.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are likely to view Ekitike as a replacement for Darwin Nunez, who remains extremely likely to leave the Reds this summer despite seeing a potential switch to Napoli break down.

Nunez - who has scored four goals in Liverpool's pre-season thus far, including a hat-trick in Sunday's behind closed doors friendly against Stoke City - is known to be keen on a move away this summer having fallen down the pecking order under Arne Slot.

Liverpool are still evaluating their forward options for the coming season, and remain mindful of sensitivities following the tragic death of Diogo Jota earlier this month.

Luis Diaz is still wanted by Bayern Munich, who have had an approach for the Colombian turned down by Liverpool. Diaz is known to want to depart Anfield and seek a new deal elsewhere, but it remains to be seen whether Bayern return with another offer.

Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.