Liverpool love Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike replacement and are already plotting transfer raid - journalist
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Hugo Ekitike has hit the ground running at Liverpool but he is already being forgotten back in Germany.
The Reds were desperate to bring in a striker this summer and there were many names on the list, although Alexander Isak has always been top.
However, at one point in time, signing the Swede appeared to be near-impossible, even more so than it is now, hence why they looked elsewhere.
Ekitike was the man they decided to go for, a player Newcastle were also looking at, with the Frenchman costing up to £79m.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s production line of strikers is nothing short of sensational, so even though they lost a key player, they were fairly relaxed that he could be replaced.
And, they have been proven right yet again, although their Ekitike replacement has been so impressive that Liverpool are already planning to raid them again in the future.
Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images
Frankfurt continue to amaze people as even though they are still very much a ‘selling club’, they continue to regularly finish in European positions.
Ekitike was a key part of helping them achieve that last season, with the 23-year-old netting 15 goals and registering eight assists.
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Replacing him was always going to be a little tricky but the German side thought that a player already at the club was ready for the step up, with this being 19-year-old Can Uzun.
The striker scored one and assisted two in Frankfurt’s opening Bundesliga game, suggesting they have made the right choice.
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And, according to Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele, his German sources have told him that Liverpool, among other Premier League clubs, are keeping a close eye on his development already.
He reports that Frankfurt have all-but forgotten about Ekitike due to just how impressive Uzun has been, although they know he is attracting plenty of interest.
Steele concludes by saying that the Turkish striker is ‘one to watch’ and that he is almost certainly the next big thing off the Frankfurt production line.
If Ekitike’s performances are anything to go by, then Uzun should be very high up on Liverpool’s list next summer.
Although he was not most fans’ first-choice, the Frenchman has hit the ground running at Anfield and, arguably, been one of their best players in the opening two games.
He is the only new signing to have made an instant impact, and his two goals and one assist in the Premier League have helped the Reds get over the line.
So, if his former teammate is as good as Frankfurt say, he could be joining the Frenchman very soon, although he will almost certainly command a hefty fee due to the German club’s ability to sell players.