Liverpool seriously working on deal to sign 23-year-old forward in the summer: Reports

The expected departure of Darwin Nunez is predicted to make way for Liverpool to sign a fresh No.9 before the transfer deadline. Fabrizio Romano (via DAVEOCKOP) has reported that the Reds are seriously working on a deal to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Daily Express had earlier reported that Nunez has notified Napoli that he's set to leave Anfield this summer. Thus, Ekitike is one of the options being considered as the replacement for the Uruguayan in the frontline.

As a target man, Ekitike registered 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 outings across all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt last term. Thus, he's anticipated to better Liverpool's attacking numbers if signed.

However, the Reds could find it difficult to sign Ekitike given Eintracht Frankfurt's demands for the striker. The aforementioned source has claimed that Frankfurt are demanding €100 million. Last month, the German side's sporting director, Markus Krosche, said in an interview (via GOAL):

“If the price isn’t right, then he’ll simply stay with us. We don’t have to sell Hugo.”

Given that Liverpool broke the bank (€125 million) to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, it might be difficult for them to table a huge bid for Ekitike. However, a structured payment could be an option that could be explored by the Reds.

As a 1.90m tall target man, Ekitike is a good dribbler, playmaker, and finisher who has a similar playing pattern to Roberto Firmino. Given his attacking quality, he could form a remarkable partnership with Mohamed Salah in the Reds' attack if signed.

How did Darwin Nunez perform for Liverpool last season?

Liverpool FC v Crystal Palace FC - Premier League - Source: Getty

Amid reports that the Uruguayan could be on his way out of Anfield, Nunez struggled to be productive in attack last term. At the start of the campaign, he was repeatedly dropped by Arne Slot.

While the fitness dilemma of Diogo Jota in the course of the season gave Nunez more minutes, he didn't improve as expected. In 47 appearances across competitions as the No.9, Nunez only registered seven goals and five assists.

The Uruguayan might not also be Arne Slot's ideal target man, which could be why the Reds are open to offloading him. However, he played a part in Liverpool's triumph in the Premier League last season.

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Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Aditya Singh