Could Hugo Ekitike Fit Liverpool’s Summer Transfer Window Rebuild?

Liverpool has been linked with a transfer move for the Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who became the latest of numerous names to be linked with a move to the Premier League champions this summer.

Arne Slot’s side will be in the transfer market for reinforcements as it looks to defend its title, but though there are a number of deals in the works, none have been officially confirmed as yet.

Despite winning the Premier League with four games to spare, there are still obvious areas for improvement in this Liverpool team.

It might seem like nitpicking to point out weaknesses in a team that performed so well in a tough Premier League this season, but the areas for improvement can be easily identified. This in itself puts Liverpool in a good position, as it means the club is building from a position of strength.

Liverpool’s Transfer Targets

The obvious position where a new signing is needed is right-back. Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave the club on a free transfer to Real Madrid this summer, now that his contract is up, and a new right-back is clearly needed.

The club has moved quickly to identify potential replacements in this area and is expected to announce the signing of Bayer Leverkusen’s right-sided wing-back Jeremie Frimpong in due course.

On the other side of the back four, left-back has also looked like an area that could be improved.

Though Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas are not bad players, and Robertson in his prime was one of the best around, a team challenging on multiple fronts at the top level in the Premier League and Champions League could do use some extra quality in this area.

This is why there are strong links with Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, who at 21 years old could be seen as a long-term replacement for Robertson. This is another deal Liverpool is expected to get done sooner rather than later this summer.

The biggest transfer news for Liverpool so far this summer is the potential big-money acquisition of another Bayer Leverkusen star, Florian Wirtz.

The 22-year-old German is considered one of the best young players in the game right now and, having played regularly at senior level since the age of 17, is already approaching his peak.

The transfer fee for Wirtz will likely set Liverpool back around $160 million, but they will believe that such a rare talent is worth the money.

Wirtz would add plenty to Liverpool’s attack as he’s able to drive a team forward using his pace on the ball and his passing ability.

Existing Options

Wirtz’s arrival might even allow Liverpool to get the most from existing attacking players who might not have had the best seasons in 2024/25 despite the title win.

Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez would fall into that category, though you get the impression the club would be open to selling any attacker not named Mohamed Salah if a reasonable offer came in. The arrival of Wirtz, however, means it is under no pressure to do so.

If offers do come in, and players are sold, it would open the door for Liverpool to sign a striker.

A New Striker?

The Núñez experiment brought plenty of unpredictability to the team’s attack, and though this sometimes helped them, it sometimes didn’t, so there is the option for the club to try something else in this area.

It is here that other players for the central forward position can be considered.

The rangy Eintracht Frankfurt striker Ekitike will be one of the targets for Europe’s top teams this summer, and Liverpool has thrown its hat into the ring along with fellow Premier League side Chelsea as one of the teams interested.

Sky’s Florian Plettenberg reported on Wednesday that Liverpool has joined the race for the striker who scored 15 goals in the Bundesliga this season, and that the Liverpool hierarchy, including sporting director Richard Hughes, is keen to bring him to the club.

Liverpool made no notable signings in Arne Slot’s first season, so should have plenty of room to maneuver financially, but adding another player who would likely cost over $100 million would mean sales are needed.

There will be interest in Núñez and Jota. Even though they have not set the Premier League alight in 2024/25, teams will know of their ability from previous seasons.

Maybe a team will think they can do what Liverpool couldn’t quite manage and convert Núñez’s elite chance-getting into goals. This ability to get into positions to score is what persuaded Liverpool to part with a record transfer fee for the Uruguayan in the first place, and another team might see similar potential.

Ekitike is an all-round striker who, like Wirtz, has created chances as well as scored goals in the Bundesliga in 24/25, but unlike Wirtz is obviously a forward rather than an attacking midfielder.

It’s worth noting that this past season is only the Frenchman’s second campaign where he has reached double figures for goals, but both those returns came in the seasons he was established in a team and playing regularly—the other being for Reims in Ligue 1 in 2021/22 prior to a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Another important asset Ekitike brings is height. Many managers and coaches like to have a certain number of tall players in their teams simply for defending set pieces. It’s an under-reported part of the game that can often explain lineup decisions that might otherwise seem unusual.

One of Núñez’s strengths is clearing the ball at defensive set-pieces, and regardless of heading technique, simply winning the ball in such situations is important.

The players Liverpool has been linked with so far this summer are all under 6 feet tall and not noted for their aerial ability, but at 6 foot 3, Ekitike would offer something in this area on top of his other attributes.

Another Premier League side, Manchester City, has already signed one of the outstanding players from Eintracht Frankfurt in Omar Marmoush; now Liverpool has joined Chelsea in the race for another.

Despite Marmoush’s exit halfway through the season, the four goals he assisted for Ekitike made them one of the most common combinations in the Bundesliga in 2024/25.

Liverpool has plenty of players who can provide chances similarly, with Salah’s additional creativity in recent seasons and the potential addition of Wirtz.

Incidentally, the most common assister to goalscorer combination in the Bundesliga this season was Wirtz to Patrik Schick with seven. One could easily see that becoming Wirtz to Ekitike in the Premier League.

The more the numbers and the fit are considered, and if the potential for selling existing players turns into concrete bids, the more a move for Ekitike makes sense for Liverpool.

It is an area of the field where the club has plenty of options to fund a new purchase through sales, and one where, once that money is available, it makes sense to try something new. Ekitike could be that player.