With Jeremie Frimpong all but signed and both Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez expected to follow, it stands to be a busy start to the transfer window for Liverpool.
That is unlikely to be it for their incoming business either, with the Mail's Lewis Steele writing on Tuesday that after getting a deal over the line for Wirtz, they "will turn their attention to signing a No. 9."
Steele claims a transfer for Darwin Nunez will "raise funds" for any new addition in the centre-forward role, though in reality the money will already be available.
Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg has now claimed that Liverpool are "seriously in the race" to land Ekitike and "initial talks have already taken place" as they vie with Chelsea for the Frenchman's signature.
The Reds, Plettenberg writes, are "playing a very clever tactical game" akin to their pursuit of Wirtz, which saw them convince the Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder to turn down advances from three other clubs.
It is suggested that contact has been made via both Arne Slot and Fenway Sports Group's CEO of football Michael Edwards, though that is dubious given that would be the job of sporting director Richard Hughes.
Frankfurt are said to value their striker at €100 million (£84m), which is the same amount claimed to have been offered for Wirtz.
This is not the first time Liverpool have been linked with Ekitike, with their interest frequently reported in recent months.
Speaking to SPORT1 earlier this month, Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche admitted the club could part ways with their No. 11 this summer as they "depend on generating transfer revenue."
"He's one of the most interesting strikers on the European market," Krosche explained.
"Hugo has to decide that. I'm glad we have him. If he decides otherwise, that's our belief: if a player develops faster than us, we let him go.
"Hugo 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's only 22 years old."
Ekitike scored 22 goals and laid on 12 assists in 48 games for Frankfurt this season, and profiles remarkably similar to another striker Liverpool are interested in: the likely unattainable Newcastle man Alexander Isak.
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FBL-GER-BUNDESLIGA-LEVERKUSEN-TEN HAGBayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes wants to use funds from Florian Wirtz’s mega sale to create a title-winning team.WHAT HAPPENED?Leverkusen want to use the £116 million ($158m) generated from Wirtz’s transfer to Liverpool to fund potential player recruitment and build a side that would fight for major accolades and challenge Bunde...
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