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Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmoller has described Hugo Ekitike's impending transfer to Liverpool as a "bitter loss".

The Reds' deal for the France under-21 international appears to be gathering momentum after personal terms were struck on Thursday.

Arne Slot's side opened talks with the Bundesliga club after diverting their attention to the 23-year-old from Alexander Isak, as Newcastle United failed to budge on their stance that the Sweden international was not for sale.



Liverpool expressed an interest in the Magpies' talisman showing a willingness to pay in excess of £100million for his services.

The forward is keen on a move to Anfield and reports suggest that transfer chiefs at Anfield have already had a bid rebuffed for Ekitike with a second offer to land his signature being readied.

Despite the speculation surrounding the former Paris Saint-Germain forward's future, he has returned to Die Adler for their respective preparations ahead of the Bundesliga and Champions League campaigns.

However, he was absent from their 3-2 defeat to FSV Frankfurt on Saturday, leading to further questions surrounding Ekitike's future.

The Eintracht Frankfurt head coach hinted that his exclusion was related to the move to Liverpool, admitting that his exit is a "bitter loss".

"He didn't play, but you can imagine everything else," said Toppmoller via Sky Sports Germany.

"This is a bitter loss.

"We lost our absolute top player in the winter with Omar Marmoush.

"The other player stepped in and developed sensationally.

It's quite possible that that's history, too.

"So I think we need to temper expectations a bit overall."

The German outfit are said to be demanding €100million (£86m), which would be a club-record sale exceeding Randal Kolo-Muani's move to PSG, and Newcastle saw their initial approach for Ekitike rejected.

Eddie Howe's side made an approach to sign the France under-21 international and saw their €80m (£69.4m) rejected on Tuesday.

From Liverpool's perspective, the ECHO understands that the Reds are in the market for at least one attacking addition this summer with Darwin Nunez expected to leave the club.

The Uruguayan has been the topic of speculation this summer with Napoli and Al-Hilal linked with a move for the 28-year-old.

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