Liverpool have reportedly ‘registered their interest’ in Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike.
The Reds’ need for offensive reinforcements is clear given following an unfortunate drop-off from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota in 2024/25.
The Frankfurt man, by contrast, has enjoyed an impressive campaign in the Bundesliga this term, registering 19 goals and eight assists in 38 games (across all competitions).
| Player | Goal contributions | Minutes per goal contribution |
| Hugo Ekitike | 27 | 102.48 |
| Diogo Jota | 12 | 123.41 |
| Darwin Nunez | 14 | 134.42 |
* Stats courtesy of Transfermarkt
Liverpool will have competition for Hugo Ekitike
(Photo by Simon Hofmann/Getty Images)It would seem that our ‘interest’ in Ekitike is probably not quite as strong as our reported admiration for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.
Nonetheless, the 22-year-old is considered an admired quantity, according to Florian Plettenberg’s X (formerly Twitter) update on Friday evening.
A potential move for the Frenchman, however, may prove challenging given the scale of other clubs also understood to be monitoring his progress – Arsenal and Manchester United among them.
Eintracht Frankfurt are aware that Manchester United are seriously considering Hugo #Ekitike as a potential transfer target for the upcoming summer. #MUFC
Arsenal (Isak remains the No. 1 target), Liverpool, and Juventus have also registered their interest. #LFC
Eintracht… pic.twitter.com/IEVP6lWegl
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) March 28, 2025
An alternative to Alexander Isak
Given that Alexander Isak is likely going to cost well in excess of £100m, Richard Hughes and his recruitment team may be better advised putting their faith in an alternative.
The Sweden international would, no doubt, be a fantastic signing for us as a Premier League-proven goal machine set to hit his peak years, but cost and injury record could prove prohibitive.
Intriguingly, from a statistical point of view, a move for Hugo Ekitike wouldn’t necessarily be considered a huge step away from his Newcastle counterpart.
FBref currently consider Isak to be the second most similar player (behind Omar Marmoush) to the Frenchman.
As side-by-side comparisons go, there’s plenty to admire in a talent still in need of a great deal of development.
| Players | Non-penalty xG | xAG | Shot-creating actions | Touches in the opposing box |
| Hugo Ekitike | 0.58 | 0.25 | 3.64 | 6.74 |
| Alexander Isak | 0.63 | 0.20 | 3.41 | 6.26 |
* Stats (per 90) courtesy of FBref
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