Fabrizio Romano has said that Liverpool are ‘working on’ a deal to add to their forward line this summer, amid the possibility of a high-profile exit from Anfield.
Speculation continues apace over the future of Darwin Nunez, with the Italian transfer reporter claming that Napoli remain firmly interested in signing the 26-year-old but might ultimately be priced out of a move for him.
In his place could come Hugo Ekitike, with Florian Plettenberg naming the Eintracht Frankfurt marksman among a shortlist of three strikers that the Reds are looking to sign. His German colleague Christian Falk has indicated (via The Daily Briefing) that the Frenchman is valued at €100m (£85.8m).
Romano shares Ekitike transfer update
In an update on his eponymous YouTube channel in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Romano outlined that Liverpool are actively pursuing the 23-year-old this summer, but has warned Kopites not to expect any major breakthrough in the coming days.
He said: “Liverpool are working on this deal. Liverpool are discussing the possibility of adding Hugo Ekitike to their squad. The idea of Liverpool is to have one more striker, and they are waiting to understand what happens with Darwin Nunez, with conversations ongoing with Napoli.”
Romano continued: “Liverpool can add a new striker. They are waiting to find a solution for Darwin, so Hugo Ekitike remains a name on the list for Liverpool. Of course, this is not a deal happening today or tomorrow, so we need to be patient, but Ekitike is one of the names on the list for Liverpool.”
Liverpool might need to sell before they can buy
While Alexander Isak remains the Reds’ ultimate centre-forward target, the likelihood of the Premier League champions spending more than £120m on the Newcastle marksman this summer seems meagre, especially after the club-record £116m outlay on Florian Wirtz.
Ekitike won’t exactly come cheap either at £85m or so, but he still seems more attainable than his Swedish counterpart, especially if LFC were to reap their desired asking price of £60m for Nunez should he be sold.
Football tactics writer Mohamed Mohamed has hailed the Frenchman as an ‘exciting’ target man with searing pace and excellent ball control, adding that he appears to be ‘on track for stardom’ (The Transfer Flow). Those attributes nicely complement a return of 22 goals and 12 assists from 48 matches last season.
Romano’s update suggests that Liverpool might need to sell players before they can execute further big-money additions, so any move for the Eintracht Frankfurt marksman may be contingent on offloading the likes of Nunez, should a willing buyer be found for the Uruguayan.
The pursuit of Ekitike could continue right up to the late August deadline, so expect this to be a transfer story which has plenty of mileage still to run, but it’s encouraging to learn that the Merseysiders appear to be actively in the mix for a prolific centre-forward this summer.
