Liverpool open dialogue to sign £85m striker

FSG weren’t mendacity once they mentioned they had been going to spend massive this summer time. Liverpool followers wanted to buckle up forward of the summer time switch window, with the Anfield facet having crossed the £200m mark earlier than even reaching July.

The membership’s full-back issues have been resolved by means of acquisitions of Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, and sporting director Richard Hughes has additionally overseen the shattering of Liverpool’s switch file by signing Florian Wirtz for £100m plus £16m in add-ons, which can make the German the most costly participant in British historical past.

Liverpool aren’t completed but. Whereas Jarell Quansah’s summer time sale to Bayer Leverkusen will open up house in central defence, and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi is the centre of ongoing talks, many followers would level towards the entrance of the ship as the world most in want of a brush-up.

If and when Napoli signal the unconvincing Darwin Nunez, Hughes will probably be anticipated to discover a focal frontman to steer the road for the Premier League champions subsequent season and past.

What is the newest on Hugo Ekitike

Liverpool want a striker, and the person signed come autumn might turn into Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.

The French ahead, 23, loved an amazing breakout 12 months in Germany, main analyst Ben Mattinson to dub him “among the best strikers on the market.”

Liverpool have been on the brink of bid for the ahead for some time, however FSG are understandably hesitant given Die Adler’s £85m valuation of their star man.

That is significantly extra inexpensive than Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, who may set a profitable suitor again £200m this summer time, however nonetheless slightly excessive for a membership having already forked out bucketloads on contemporary abilities.

So then, who to go for? Properly, Ekitike’s good, because the graphic above illustrates, however he isn’t as full and refined as one other switch goal who would require a much more modest outlay.

Liverpool maintain talks for Ekitike various

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool are nonetheless within the race for Sporting CP sensation Viktor Gyokeres, who will nearly actually depart Portugal this summer time after a breakdown in relationships at his outfit.

In actual fact, the Reds are among the many sides to have opened a dialogue with Sporting, searching for data on the marksman as he prepares to depart the membership.

Arsenal and Manchester United seem to have the sting within the race, but when Liverpool increase their intrigue, there’s each probability Arne Slot may safe a top-class marksman for 2025/26.

Gyokeres will probably be out there for a payment decrease than his €100m (£85m) launch clause, with the Liga Portugal champions hoping to financial institution €80m (£68m) for his or her quantity 9’s sale.

What Viktor Gyokeres would carry to Liverpool

Whereas £68m is a slightly hefty determine, Gyokeres’ performances over the previous couple of years recommend Liverpool would obtain bang for his or her buck.

After becoming a member of the Portuguese facet from Coventry Metropolis within the Championship for round £20m two years in the past, the Sweden striker has grown into his pores and skin as one among Europe’s main goalscorers, posting 97 strikes throughout 102 matches for the Leões, helping 28 targets too.

Whereas the Portuguese prime division is not the best in total high quality, that is to not say that Gyokeres hasn’t proved his price, with the degrees of his medical capturing underscoring his place amongst Europe’s elite. Certainly, the “deadly” ahead has been described as “one of the best finisher on this planet” by soccer statistician Spencer Mossman.

Ekitike has a excessive ceiling, all proper, however he isn’t but the completed product, and we have seen loads of rising stars not fairly attain their potential when making the cosmic leap into the Premier League, the place the laborious graft solely simply begins.

Trying on the pairings’ contrasted statistics throughout the 2024/25 league marketing campaign, Gyokeres for Sporting and Ekitike in Germany for Frankfurt, it could be that Liverpool ought to go for the extra skilled man.

Like Ekitike, the 27-year-old is dynamic in his performances, dribbling at a frequent fee, getting caught in with duels and offering inventive assist for his teammates, however he is additionally much more prolific and fewer profligate when positioned right into a goalscoring radius.

Furthermore, he ranked among the many prime 12% of forwards within the Champions League final time period for objective contributions, the highest 10% for shot-creating actions and the highest 6% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, emphasising his means to do it on the most important stage.

In fact, a blunter illustration can be his emphatic hat-trick towards Manchester Metropolis, selecting Pep Guardiola’s facet aside final November.

Finally, Liverpool know they need to handle to safe themselves an improve on Nunez this summer time, the Uruguayan solely scoring seven occasions for Slot all season, nevertheless it’s necessary for FSG to choose the appropriate man.

Gyokeres may not be the youngest on the block, however he is nonetheless received a few years of dependable service forward of him and would certainly present Liverpool with a dependable scoring presence, settled as he can be amongst a few of Europe’s most devastating and dynamic forwards in Wirtz and Salah, and extra in addition to.