LONDON: Liverpool signed France forward Hugo Ekitiké from Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday to continue the Premier League champion’s offseason spending spree.
Ekitiké is Liverpool’s latest big-money signing after Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez — taking their outlay to around $342 million.
The 23-year-old Ekitiké has joined for a fee of 69 million pounds ($93.5 million) and signed a six-year contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because details have not been made public, said the fee could rise by a further 10 million pounds ($13.5 million).
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been busy strengthening a team that won their record-equaling 20th English league title last season — in particular in attack.
Wirtz, signed from Bayer Leverkusen last month for a fee that could rise to a British record 116 million pounds ($156 million), is considered one of the brightest talents in Europe. And Etikité is another player who has shone in Germany after leaving Paris Saint-Germain last year.
He scored 22 in 48 appearances in his one full season with Frankfurt, which have made a big profit on him after buying him for a reported $19 million last year.
Ekitiké’s move comes weeks after Liverpool forward Diogo Jota died in a car accident in Spain.
There is uncertainty about the future of other Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, who have both been targeted by teams in Europe during the offseason.
The Merseyside club have not retained a league title since winning three in a row between 1982 and ‘84, which was before the inception of the Premier League.
They are likely to face challenges from Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea, who have all been active in the transfer market since the end of the season.
Ekitiké is the latest big-money departure from Frankfurt after forward Omar Marmoush joined Man City for a reported $73 million in January.
Marmoush was the team’s top-scorer at the time, but Ekitiké responded with his best performances in a Frankfurt shirt to help the team finish third in the Bundesliga for Champions League qualification.
