Romano green lights third biggest deal in Liverpool history as Ekitike jets in for medical

Hugo Ekitike is expected to arrive in the UK on Monday ahead of a medical on Tuesday, as he finalises a six-year contract at Liverpool after Anfield chiefs reached an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt over a deal worth £79m (€91.5m / $106.6m), while two top pundits are at loggerheads over whether the big-money transfer will be a success.

Fabrizio Romano has delivered the latest news of Liverpool’s efforts to secure a deal for the French striker, while Sky Sports have also detailed that the Reds have kept a contingent of staff in the UK to complete the signing.

It’s hoped that once everything is concluded, Ekitike will be able to fly to Asia to join Liverpool on their pre‑season tour later in the week.

Similar to the Florian Wirtz deal, the majority of the bonuses in Ekitike’s are tied to Liverpool trophy success and the player making a significant contribution. They are difficult to achieve, but Liverpool would no doubt be delighted if they end up paying them.

The deal, which is made up of £69m plus £10m in add-ons, will make Ekitike the third biggest signing in the club’s history behind Wirtz and Darwin Nunez.

Speaking of Nunez, the capture of Ekitike will almost certainly end the Uruguay frontman’s ill-fated stay on Merseyside.

The Reds have been seeking suitors for Nunez, with recent reports even suggesting that Newcastle could make a move for the forward after missing out on Ekitike themselves.

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Legends at loggerheads over Ekitike to Liverpool

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s capture of Ekitike has led to a major dispute between legends from Liverpool and Chelsea, in the form of Steve Nicol and the striker’s fellow countryman Frank Leboeuf.

The latter has major doubts over whether Ekitike can be the dynamic No.9 that the Reds need, telling ESPN: “I’m happy for Hugo, for sure, I really hope he’s going to serve Liverpool in the best way and be good enough according to the price that has been paid. But allow me to have some doubts.

“I saw him playing for Paris Saint-Germain. It was complicated because there was (Lionel) Messi, Neymar and (Kylian) Mbappe at that time. But he’s only been good, like a year.

“That price puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders so I would wait and see. I really hope he does well but wait and see. They were warned by the Nunez transfer and now they’re doing the same with Ekitike. He’s been absolutely fantastic and was tremendous last season, but Liverpool and the Premier League is another story, so wait and see.”

Nicol, who won 10 trophies during his decorated 13-year Reds career, interjected: “That’s a little harsh, Frank. Just because you signed a player that doesn’t work out, why should that stop you signing another player? It’s just an example of a warning, so that’s it.

“You’ve got Son Heung-min, (Erling) Haaland came from the Bundesliga – it’s not like players in the Bundesliga don’t have a history of scoring in the Premier League; Bobby Firmino at Liverpool.

“The guy’s 23 years old. If, like (Darwin) Nunez, Ekitike doesn’t pan out, Liverpool are still going to get a big chunk of that money back, the same way they will with Nunez.

“He’s absolutely one of the top strikers in the world right now so you’ve got to pay the going rate. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what this guy can’t do. There’s the goals, the set-up play, he can hold up the ball, he can head the ball, he’s got two feet – I can’t find a thing that I can turn around and say, ‘they have to work on this, he needs to work on that’. He’s got every single thing.”

Leboeuf then responded, saying: “I’m sorry to cut you off but when you say I’m being harsh, I’m saying just wait and see.

“That’s the only thing I’ve said. He had a tremendous season last season, but I saw him before at Paris Saint-Germain and, I’m sorry, we saw before players coming from the Bundesliga, having a hard time in the Premier League.

“So, I think I have the right to be, not sceptical, but doubtful about the fact he can settle down and be as successful as last season. I don’t think I’m being harsh saying that.”

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Nicol pinpoints big reason for Ekitike growth

Former Scotland star Nicol, meanwhile, believes that the players currently at Liverpool will have a big role to play in helping Ekitike develop.

He added: “He’s 23 years of age and when you’ve got (Cody) Gakpo, (Mohamed) Salah, Wirtz and (Alexis) Mac Allister around you, how can you not progress even further?

“Ekitike, as great as he’s been, is still not the finished article at 23. He’s still got more growth and experience to go, so to have those players around you… this is not Rasmus Hojlund going into Manchester United where nobody is going to help him. Ekitike is going to have the whole club and team helping him out, playing him in in, pushing him forward, and pulling him down if he gets too big for his boots.

“He’s walking into the perfect situation right now – a world-class team that’s going up and surrounded by world-class players who will make him even better than he is.”

However, the final word on Ekitike, who scored 22 goals in 48 games for Frankfurst last season, went to Leboeuf, who added: “I don’t want to be that guy who criticises Ekitike because I really like him and I really appreciated what he did last season and if he is as good as he was last season, he’s going to be tremendous, for sure.

“Of course he’s going to be served, but I think Darwin Nunez was served last season and the season before and it didn’t work.

“I really hope Ekitike will be different but before people criticise me on social networks, I love Ekitike! I know how talented he can but I’m just wondering how quickly he will settle down and be better than Darwin Nunez.”

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