Liverpool face huge hurdle to complete next big transfer in Slot's summer plan

Liverpool want to sign a top striker to supplement Arne Slot's Premier League-winning squad this summer but a deal for one of their targets could prove to be beyond them

Liverpool have garnered a reputation for being shrewd operators in the transfer market in recent years, and the fact they are closing in on three huge deals just days after lifting the Premier League title is testament to that.

But with their pursuit of Hugo Ekitike, Arne Slot, Richard Hughes and Co may have met their match in Eintracht Frankfurt. Ekitike, 22, has no shortage of suitors among Europe in the wake of his best-ever season after breaking the 20-goal barrier for the first time.

Chelsea, for example, are also sweet on the idea of luring Ekitike to the Premier League. Doing so is likely to be easier said than done, though.

That's because Frankfurt have a reputation of their own these days after negotiating top dollar for some of Europe's most exciting attackers after watching them catch light with the Bundesliga outfit.

And that could pose a problem for Liverpool, who are already beginning to spin quite a few plates.

With a deal for Jeremie Frimpong all but wrapped up, the Reds are poised to make a move for Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez. Add to that the small matter of a potential club record deal for Florian Wirtz, who is valued at a monstrous £126million, and all of a sudden the prospect of Liverpool financing another gargantuan transfer - with Ekitike valued at £84m - feels slim.

Frankfurt have already shown they are not afraid to hold big clubs to ransom; Liverpool need look no further than their domestic rivals, Manchester City, for evidence of that.

They had to pay £65m to extract Omar Marmoush from Germany in January to try and salvage their season, although the Egypt international is already looking like a shrewd investment after plundering seven goals in 16 Premier League matches.

Randal Kolo Muani was sold off just 18 months earlier, this time for £76.4m, if you required further proof that the Marmoush negotiations were no one off.

The club's sporting director, Markus Krosche, is at the heart of an astute operation. One major factor behind Frankfurt's success is their refusal to include any release clauses in contracts, something Krosche explained last summer in an interview with Kicker.

"The contract constellations are such that we always have a say," he said after referencing the club's preference for long contracts and the 'age structure' of their squad.

Liverpool headed into the summer off the back off their title win in need of a new No.9. Darwin Nunez, among others, will likely be sacrificed to accumulate further funds as the newly minted Premier League champions bid to carry out their ambitious plans.

Ekitike, like Wirtz, would be a major coup given he is widely regarded as one of the Bundesliga's brightest young stars. The fact other clubs are aware of that too has the potential to give Liverpool a headache - but the fact Frankfurt know it too could prove to be biggest issue of all.

"He's one of the most interesting strikers on the European market. Hugo has to decide that," Krosche said of Ekitike to Sport 1. "I'm glad we have him. If he decides otherwise, that's our motto: If a player develops faster than us, we let him go."