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It is increasingly looking like Liverpool will miss out on Hugo Ekitike, with Newcastle United now ahead in the race for his signature.

The Frenchman enjoyed a stellar 2024/25 campaign with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Ekitike scored 22 goals with 12 assists in all competitions last season and helped secure Eintracht Champions League football.

The 23-year-old’s form has led to serious interest from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and now Newcastle United.

Liverpool, it was reported, were keen on signing the striker, but are waiting first to sell Darwin Nunez before moving for Ekitike.

However, it appears Newcastle have moved quickly in securing the deal, with ESPN’s Julien Laurens claiming that the Magpies are looking to finalise the deal for Ekitike.

According to the French reporter, Eddie Howe’s side will pay around €80 million for the striker.

“Super agent Ali Barat is currently in Newcastle to finalise the Hugo Ekitike deal, Laurens wrote on X.

“Around 80m euros for the French striker from Frankfurt who had a great last season in the Bundesliga.”

The report by the ESPN journalist was confirmed by the reliable Fabrizio Romano, who revealed that Newcastle United has submitted a bid of €70 million for Ekitike.

While Liverpool fans may consider Hugo Ekitike a potential replacement for Alexander Isak, who the Reds want, a recent report by The Telegraph suggests that Newcastle want to play the Frenchman alongside Isak.

According to the report, Newcastle are still hoping to sign another striker in this window, having missed out on Brazil international João Pedro earlier this month.

“With Champions League football and three domestic competitions to contend with next season, Newcastle cannot expect Isak to play in every game and need to rotate their forwards,” the report stated.

Interestingly, the report by

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