Liverpool
Premier League • England
€100m ‘perfect’ star AGREES Liverpool deal and submits transfer request
Liverpool manager Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes
A top Liverpool target has taken drastic measures to complete a move to Anfield in the summer transfer window, according to a report, with Ben Jacobs revealing whether Arne Slot could return for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.
Liverpool won the Premier League title with relative ease last season, as Arsenal failed to last the distance in the race and Manchester City were never in it. Liverpool manager Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes have not stood still in the summer transfer window, though, and have made the squad even better as the Reds plan to retain the title and also go far in the Champions League next season.
Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi, Freddie Woodman and Giorgi Mamardashvili are the new players in the Liverpool squad already for next season.
Liverpool are determined to make more signings, including a striker to replace Darwin Nunez, who lost his place in the starting line-up under Slot last season and is on his way out of Anfield.
The Premier League champions have long wanted to sign Isak from Newcastle United, but with the Magpies standing firm on their ‘not for sale’ stance, Liverpool have moved on to Hugo Ekitike instead.
Journalist Fabrice Hawkins reported on X on Thursday that ‘Hugo Ekitike and Liverpool reached an agreement over 6 year contract’.
Hawkins claimed that the Eintracht Frankfurt striker ‘only wants Liverpool’ and has already ‘rejected Manchester United’, with Newcastle also deciding to abandon their pursuit of the former Paris Saint-Germain man.
Trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano added that Liverpool have submitted an ‘official bid’ to Frankfurt for Ekitike, who was described as ‘the perfect centre-forward’ on TNT Sports in April 2025 by former Man Utd midfielder Owen Hargreaves.
According to SportBild, Ekitike is so keen on a move to Liverpool that he has decided to submit a transfer request at Frankfurt.
The German publication has claimed that the Bundesliga club are holding out for €100million (£86.6m, $116.4m) for the 23-year-old French striker and believe that Liverpool will pay the amount shortly.
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Alexander Isak – Liverpool transfer saga not over
While Liverpool are now focusing on Ekitike at the moment, it was Isak that the Reds were keen on.
TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, has long reported that Newcastle striker Isak is Liverpool manager Slot’s ‘dream signing’.
Liverpool made an approach to Newcastle for the Sweden international striker this week, but the Magpies made it clear that they will not sell him even for £120million.
The Premier League champions subsequently moved on to Ekitike, but reliable journalist Jacobs has claimed that Liverpool could return for Isak in the future.
Jacobs said on Grizz Khan’s YouTube channel: “Ekitike is not a new deal, they ran the data, he scores highly, he’s versatile, in the box he’s got a bit of an old-style quality about him too, so a lot of attributes that fit the Liverpool system.
“And yet, we know that Isak is, was, whichever way you want to look at it, the dream target. I don’t think Liverpool and Isak is over. But, perhaps for this window [it is].
“Newcastle’s own desire to bring in Ekitike, even if it was Ekitike and Isak, had an element of succession planning.
“And they [Liverpool] will know that Newcastle, one day, there will come a point where Isak is sold.
“When that day comes, I still expect Liverpool to be there. Is it going to be now and in addition to Hugo Ekitike?
“You would think it highly unlikely. You can never say never with Liverpool and this window, but ultimately the urgency to get clarity on Isak was prompted by Newcastle moving for Ekitike and they didn’t want Ekitike to think they were all in on Isak and he was a back-up.
“The belief at the moment is that £120-130m would not be accepted, Newcastle are quite bullish, so for now Isak is not as active as it was 48 hours ago.
“It doesn’t mean they won’t revisit it in future windows or other points in time. But for now all the focus has switched to Ekitike.”
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