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Liverpool are almost at the finish line in their search to sign a new central striker, as a deal for Hugo Ekitike begins to take shape.

The Reds had been hoping to buy Alexander Isak from Newcastle United, but after seeing their attempts rebuffed by the Magpies, they switched attention to Ekitike.

Things now appear to be moving relatively quickly to bring the Frenchman to Anfield, with reports from Thursday suggesting that Liverpool could sign Ekitike by the weekend.

Although some fans may be disappointed not to have landed Isak, it is clear that the 23-year-old is by no means a consolation prize.

Ekitike has earned rave reviews for his performances at Eintracht Frankfurt since joining at the start of 2024.

However, the France U21 international has already had one, failed big move in his career.

He spent a fairly miserable 18 months at Paris Saint Germain after joining in 2022.

After the Parisians conquered Europe under Luis Enrique in 2025, it is interesting to look back on what Enrique really thought of Ekitike before letting him leave.

Photo by Dan Mullan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Unfortunately for Ekitike, his time at PSG will likely remain a blot on his career until he manages to shake it off by succeeding at a club like Liverpool.

Having been signed from Reims for around £30m, Ekitike went on to make only 33 appearances for PSG, scoring just four times.

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The young striker initially failed to make much of an impression under Christophe Galtier, but the arrival of Enrique in the summer of 2023 signalled a fresh start at the club.

And, initially, it looked likely that Ekitike would be one of those to benefit from Enrique’s arrival.

READ MORE: Whether Liverpool will try again for Alexander Isak in the future if they sign Hugo Ekitike

According to Le Parisien in July 2023, the striker made a ‘remarkable start’ to pre-season, catching the attention of his new coach.

From there, it is claimed that Enrique was a much bigger fan of Ekitike than the PSG board.

The manager was said to ‘appreciate his qualities’ and was more inclined to keep the player than the big bosses above him.

Ultimately, though, the penny failed to drop with Ekitike.

Despite his good pre-season, Enrique handed him just one appearance in the first half of 2023/24, before loaning him out to Frankfurt in January.

While it seems Enrique was initially intrigued by Ekitike, this did not translate into a role in the team.

SeasonClubAppearancesGoalsAssissts2022/23PSG32442023/24PSG1002023/24Eintracht Frankfurt16422024/25Eintracht Frankfurt482212Hugo Ekitike since joining PSG

And, according to Ekitike himself, he was never given the tools or the confidence to be a success in the French capital.

“I will never say that I did everything well.
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