To that end, manager Arne Slot \u2013 backed by a vast pot of transfer cash this summer \u2013 is embarking on a series of squad improvements \u2013 and it\u2019s claimed as many as SIX high end targets could be signed.<\/p>\n
READ MORE<\/strong>\u00a0\ud83d\udd34\u00a0Liverpool planning SIX huge signings as Florian Wirtz deal clears hurdle<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n And with two additions closing in to bolster the defence, in Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, Liverpool are now ready to turn their focus towards strengthening in attack. With that in mind, Liverpool are casting admiring glances towards Newcastle star Isak, who would be their dream signing.<\/p>\n But with the Swede\u2019s asking price making a move improbable at best, Liverpool are now understood to have instead turned their focus towards the signing of Ekitike<\/a>, who has enjoyed an excellent season in the Bundesliga.<\/p>\n Now the Reds\u2019 chances of a deal have been catapulted after Eintracht Frankfurt\u2019s chief executive,\u00a0Markus Krosche, conceded his sale is a very real possibility this summer, despite their qualification for the Champions League.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s one of the most interesting strikers on the European market. Hugo has to decide that, I\u2019m glad we have him. If he decides otherwise, it\u2019s our belief that if a player develops faster than us, we let him go,\u201d Krosche told Sport1<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHugo is an exceptional player who played a major role in our qualification for the Champions League. He certainly still has a lot of potential for development as he\u2019s only 22 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n GO DEEPER<\/strong>\u00a0\ud83d\udd34\u00a0Ten strikers on Liverpool radar Arne Slot could turn to as Darwin Nunez upgrade<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n How much Ekitike would cost and why he\u2019s more likely than Isak for Liverpool<\/strong><\/p>\n Per reports, Frankfurt could reportedly demand as much as \u20ac100m (\u00a384.1m, $112.5m) for the France Under-21 striker this summer. And while that seems like a steep asking price, it is some way lower than the \u00a3150m figure being bandied about for Isak.<\/p>\n Furthermore, with the Bundesliga side seemingly giving the green light for his big-money sale, Liverpool would certainly find a deal that much easier to strike than they would for Isak.<\/p>\n Transfer journalist Ben Jacobs is also adamant that Ekitike is now the striker at the forefront of Liverpool\u2019s thinking.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Darwin Nunez expected to leave, a new striker is expected to come in. I still keep hearing Hugo Ekitike,\u201d Jacobs told Givemesport<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd in addition to that, we know that Liverpool are one of the clubs that think Alexander Isak, if he genuinely is available, would be a perfect fit.<\/p>\n \u201cIn theory, he would be their top target, but again, if he\u2019s not genuinely available, they\u2019re not the kind of club to waste their time. And in addition to that, Benjamin Sesko has become high in Liverpool\u2019s thinking as well.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s a claim also backed up by the Daily Mail\u2019s Lewis Steele, who recently confirmed the wiry 6ft 3in frontman is now the striker\u00a0the Reds are \u2018most interested in\u2019 this summer.<\/p>\n In a Q&A in the\u00a0Mail<\/a>, the journalist replied:\u00a0\u201cHugo Ekitike is the name that pops up the most when I speak to people, so I think it is fair to say he is one to keep a close eye on.<\/p>\n \u201cThe France Under 21 star has scored 19 goals and made eight assists for Eintracht Frankfurt this season and ticks a lot of boxes in terms of his age profile and experience \u2013 he is playing every week in a top league and has European experience, too.\u201d<\/p>\n A move to bring Ektike to Anfield would also be backed by Jamie Carragher.<\/p>\n Speaking on The Overlap USA, Carragher stated:\u00a0\u201cThe one every club would like is Isak. I\u2019m not sure we\u2019re in a position where there\u2019s absolutely great centre forwards around that you can take your pick.<\/p>\n \u201cDo I think Liverpool can buy Isak? I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m not sure Liverpool would want to pay that type of money for that player, it\u2019s not the model, the model is \u2018we\u2019ll get the next Isak\u2019. Liverpool will be probably kicking itself thinking, \u2018why didn\u2019t we get Isak from Real Sociedad?\u2019 I don\u2019t think Liverpool will go break the bank for him.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s the lad at Eintracht Frankfurt who scored against Tottenham, that smacks to me the type of player Liverpool would sign.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s 22, he\u2019s at a club who\u2019d be a selling club, done very well there, went to PSG as a very young boy after lighting up the French league, but it didn\u2019t quite work out for him. He\u2019s got great numbers and the type of player that Liverpool would sign rather than maybe going for an Isak.\u201d<\/p>\n Liverpool transfer latest: Wirtz hopes explode; Kerkez delay; Real Madrid raid<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz has advised he needs to opt for a move to Liverpool<\/a> over rival suitors Bayern Munich if he wants to take his career to the next level, and after the Reds\u2019 fellow Premier League suitors Manchester City pulled OUT of the transfer race.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Liverpool remain firmly locked in on Kerkez as their top priority for the left-back slot, although there is a gap in valuations with Bournemouth that is causing a delay<\/a>, sources have explained to TEAMtalk.<\/p>\n
![\"Hugo](\"https:\/\/images.www.teamtalk.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20095506\/hugo-ekitike-3.jpg\")
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