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The gulf in quality between Liverpool and Chelsea has been large for some years, but that hasn’t stopped the two teams from battling one another on the transfer front.

Since Clearlake’s takeover in 2022, Chelsea have been the biggest spenders in football with the Blues spending well over £1bn on new players, with the west London side yet to see much improvement on the pitch despite the immense amount of investment.

Two of the biggest signings Chelsea have made during that time have been Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, two players who looked set to join Liverpool before being convinced to head to west London, where the duo have had mixed success.

And this summer could see Chelsea land yet another Liverpool transfer target, though the Stamford Bridge side winning the race could in fact give the Reds an edge in the market and lead to a repeat of the Wataru Endo signing.

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RMC Sport report that Chelsea have made contact to sign Hugo Ekitike, with Liverpool also interested in signing the £85m-rated Eintracht Frankfurt striker after a sensational year with the German side in all competitions.

With Liverpool in the market for a new striker to lead the line, Chelsea beating the Reds to Ekitike would feel like a similar episode to Caicedo or Lavia, two players that the Anfield side desperately wanted before losing out to the Blues.

However, these two sagas led to Liverpool signing Wataru Endo for just £16m, who, since arriving on Merseyside, has become something of a cult hero and who this season became a Premier League champion under Arne Slot.

Indeed, Liverpool showed with Endo that they can adapt in the market if they miss out on a key target, and if Ekitike does end up joining Chelsea, Reds supporters will rest easy knowing that the club will have backup options in mind this summer.

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Chelsea’s need for a striker and their interest in Ekitike could result in the French youth international heading to west London this summer, and for Liverpool, they will need to find an alternative if such an outcome occurs.

However, this summer appears to be better than most when it comes to strikers being available, with Liverpool already interested in Benjamin Sesko and Victor Osimhen as the Reds look to bring in a centre-forward good enough to lead the line.

Whilst Ekitike would be a dream signing, Chelsea landing the striker won’t be the end of the world for Liverpool, especially with their transfer record as sound as it has been when it comes to picking up alternative targets.


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