Liverpool have won the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike after Arne Slot went on a charm offensive to bring the Frenchman to Anfield amid competition from Newcastle
Liverpool boss Arne Slot managed to win Hugo Ekitike over by telling the forward exactly how he would fit into his tactical set-up at Anfield on a video call.
The Reds have won the race to snap up the in-demand Eintracht Frankfurt star despite competition from Newcastle. The Premier League champions have agreed a total package amount to around £82million.
It is yet another huge outlay on a player from the Bundesliga after sealing a British transfer record move for Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, who was also impressed by Slot's approach.
But Liverpool showed how serious they were about signing a new striker after approaching Frankfurt and committing towards a huge fee after Newcastle had a £70m bid rejected.
Ekitike will be joining a star-studded team that has just won the title but L'Equipe has detailed how Slot attempted to convince the Frenchman to join Liverpool on a video call, presenting how he would help the team in his high press.
He also explained to Ekitike how he would factor into the team's style of play while they are in possession and the possibility of him dropping deeper to get the ball - with the player "seduced" by Slot's extensive analysis.
It is claimed Slot specifically referenced his 4-2-3-1 formation and how would he fit in as the focal point of the system. The Kop boss explained how he sees Ekitike being pivotal to the evolution of their style, with a more creative and mobile number nine.
The Dutchman pulled off a similar persuasion technique to land Wirtz last month for a huge £116.5m despite huge interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
His father Hans-Joachim revealed the lengths Slot went to to convince Wirtz as he used a similar ploy to the one he adopted for Ekitike, informing the player of how he would be involved in their tactical set up and how he could improve his game with the team.
"Arne Slot has impressed Florian on the pitch," he said. "He's also a very pleasant person. Florian's best coaches have always been those who gave him plenty of freedom. "And those with the greatest empathy have also reached Florian.
"He finds the game in England interesting because it thrives on pace and dynamism. "Arne Slot presented his playing philosophy, the team tactics in possession and pressing, and how Florian can develop his strengths in these areas.
"This made a decisive impression on Florian. The training conditions in Liverpool were also totally impressive."