Liverpool have agreed a deal worth £79million to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt - and their flurry of signings might not stop there either this summer
Liverpool have found the centre-forward they have craved as they continue their extremely busy summer window.
The Reds have already closed deals for Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Armin Pesci and Freddie Woodman for an outlay of around £180million, while Giorgi Mamardashvili also arrived this summer, having been signed last year but loaned out to Valencia.
That spending figure will soon eclipse £250m following the news that a deal had been agreed to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt. Ekitike had been a target for Newcastle, but Frankfurt rejected a £70m bid from the Magpies and Liverpool swooped to shake hands for £69m initially with a further £10m in add-ons.
It has been a hugely productive window for Arne Slot, who could still be waving goodbye to the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate and Harvey Elliott in the coming weeks. Here is the latest transfer news involving the club.
Ekitike medical
Ekitike is set to sign a six-year contract with Liverpool once his switch from Frankfurt is completed. The Frenchman made it clear he was open to joining the Premier League champions as soon as their interest emerged and the deal has been wrapped up swiftly.
He is flying into Merseyside on Tuesday to undergo a medical, where he will be greeted by the club's medical staff and sporting director Richard Hughes. The club's training ground will be a bit of a ghost ship, given Slot and his squad have jetted off to Asia on their pre-season tour.
Ekitike will fly out to join his new team-mates once the formalities are completed. Liverpool did enquire about the possibility of signing Newcastle's Alexander Isak before going for Ekitike, but moved fast once they had the lay of the land.
Nunez situation
Nunez scored a hat-trick in a pre-season friendly against Stoke over the weekend, when he played as a centre-forward. His form in pre-season has been intriguing, given he is on the transfer list and seeking an exit after struggling for regular game time last season.
Napoli showed an interest in the Uruguay international but the move never materialised. And with Ekitike arriving to become the first-choice centre-forward, Nunez knows he will likely play second fiddle again if he stays put.
Liverpool have until September 1 to try and shift the former Benfica man, while doubts remain over the future of Diaz. Bayern Munich have seen a £58m bid rejected by Liverpool, but could return to test their resolve.
Wirtz argument
Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund have found themselves in an argument about Wirtz, who joined Liverpool for £116.5m recently.
Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke has said the situation was a "real shame" because it made the Bundesliga a weaker division. But Leverkusen's Fernando Carro is bemused by the criticism.
"Honestly, yes. I have a different opinion than Hans-Joachim Watzke,” Sarro said, speaking to Welt am Sonntag. "I don’t understand how he, as the boss of Borussia Dortmund, could have been happy if Wirtz had gone to Munich.
"That would have made Bayern even stronger. I want an exciting Bundesliga. I’m happy when more clubs – besides us – make life difficult for Bayern, because I believe that benefits the Bundesliga."