'Medical expected': Liverpool could finally land ideal target who will join squad in Hong Kong camp
Liverpool are staying busy in the transfer market as they look to bolster their squad for the coming season
Liverpool had their second pre-season outing on Sunday as they thrashed Championship side Stoke City in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the AXA Training Centre.
The previous weekend, Arne Slot’s side recorded a 3-1 win over Preston North End at Deepdale. Darwin Nunez scored a ha-trick in the clash against the Potters with Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha adding the other goals.
Chiesa has been left out of the squad for the club’s pre-season tour of Asia, with the Reds to play games in Hong Kong and Japan over the next week. Ngumoha is taking his chance to impress with uncertainty continuing to reign around Luis Diaz’s future.
The Reds are set to be joined by a new signing on their tour after they agreed a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. Nunez has started pre-season with four goals but is expected to move on this summer after an inconsistent three years at Anfield.
Hugo Ekitike expected to undergo Liverpool medical today
In a fresh report from The Athletic on Tuesday morning, it was revealed that Ekitike is poised to arrive in the United Kingdom on Tuesday before undergoing his medical on Merseyside. The deal is an initial £69m with £10m in add-ons. If all add-ons are met it would eclipse the £75m the Reds paid to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018.
Nunez arrived at Anfield for an initial £64m with his total deal worth up to £85m. Not all the add-ons have been met but it’s unclear how much of them have been paid to Benfica. Liverpool have made a saving of at least £4.3m after they did not trigger an add-on relating to starts to in the Premier League and Champions League, meaning the most they will have paid for Nunez will be just north of £80m but it could yet be less.
Ekitike is poised to sign a six-year deal with Liverpool. The Reds have previously handed five-year deals to new signings, but have opted to put an extra season onto the striker’s contract. Other clubs have been linked but The Athletic report notes “it has always been the Frenchman’s preference to join Liverpool.”
Hugo Ekitike could make Liverpool debut this weekend
The plan for Ekitike once a deal is done is to fly out and join up with the rest of the Reds squad in Hong Kong. They face AC Milan on Saturday at 12.30pm before taking on Yokohama FM on Wednesday at 11.30am. The Reds will finalise their pre-season preparations at Anfield against Athletic Club.
They will play the Spanish club twice in one evening on August 4, with the club confirming back in early June: “The back-to-back fixtures – kicking off at 5pm and 8pm BST – offer supporters a final chance to see the Reds in action before the Community Shield and new Premier League campaign, with one ticket granting access to both matches for a full evening of football.”
Then follows the chance for fans to see the likes of Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and more in competitive action for the first time in the Community Shield final against Crystal Palace on August 10.