Premier League football is right around the corner. For Liverpool, the Merseyside derby is coming up.
It’s been a while since Liverpool played football, having missed last weekend’s action due to an early FA Cup exit, sitting out the week before due to the latest international escapades.
As Liverpool eye a return to winning ways, ready to defend their imperious lead at the top of the Premier League and end Everton’s seven-game unbeaten run under David Moyes, they will cast a rueful eye over to Tyneside, where Newcastle United’s own absence of action last weekend was tempered and then some by a city’s jubiliant celebration.
Newcastle celebrated long into the night, having won the Carabao Cup at Wembley two weeks ago. Liverpool were bested in the final, and soundly at that.
One of the most glaring points of difference came up top, with Alexander Isak deadly and dynamic, Liverpool’s crop withered and weary.
The latest on Liverpool's interest in Isak
It’s hardly a surprise that Liverpool have a vested interest in Newcastle’s star striker. Earlier this month, golden source David Ornstein of The Athletic revealed the Reds’ intrigue is genuine, albeit with the caveat that Arsenal are also keen.
The Magpies, however, are not keen, not keen at all. They rather like Isak, who has been described as “the best striker in the Premier League” by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher. This season, the Swede has fired in 23 goals from 33 matches in all competitions, the latest of which came against Arne Slot’s side.
The 25-year-old is a searing goalscorer, but he’s also a top athlete, with power and pace to marry into an attacking intelligence which differentiates him from other high-level scorers.
Now, this is all great stuff, but Newcastle are very much aware of their talisman’s brilliance. In fact, in an effort to dissuade suitors, they have listed him at a figure in excess of £150m this summer, which would make him the Premier League’s most expensive player in history, were Liverpool to meet such terms.
What Liverpool need is an alternative option, someone brim-full with quality but more affordable. A contingency, yes, but one who could bloom into a superstar, as is Liverpool’s way.
FSG's Isak alternative
As per Caught Offside, Liverpool are among the teams chasing Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who has enjoyed a terrific season and is valued at around €80m (£67m).
Ekitike, 22, left Paris Saint-Germain for Frankfurt on a permanent deal last year, having first arrived as a loanee in 2023.
His progress since has attracted a wealth of suitors, with near every high-profile Premier League club keen on a deal.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Frankfurt hope to retain their striker’s services until next summer, but with so many teams curious, the Bundesliga club might just be willing to sell if a team such as Liverpool were to lodge a suitable offer.
Notably described as “the next Kylian Mbappe” by journalist Graeme Bailey, would the Frenchman be a good signing?
What Ekitike would bring to Liverpool
Three years ago, talent scout Jacek Kulig noted that Ekitike was a youngster with “enormous potential,” something that has been realised with the well-made decision to leave the French capital and make his name elsewhere.
Frankfurt are a top team in their own right, but Luis Enrique’s outfit are chock-full of interesting forwards and Ekitike would have been forced into a walk-on part, feeding off scraps.
His initial loan stint at Frankfurt bred decent results, but nothing more. 14 Bundesliga appearances (including seven starts) saw him chalk up four goals and two assists. Interestingly, each strike came across the final two months of the campaign, convincing Die Adler to pay up and claim his signature for good.
Let’s dig into that further. As per FBref, The France U21 international ranks among the top 6% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for progressive carries, the top 3% for successful take-ons and the top 5% for interceptions per 90.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Ekitike, like Isak (and Nunez for that matter), is more than just a goalscorer, with a silky and sharp all-round game that would see him dovetail into Slot’s system. He’s not put in a bad haul in front of goal this year either, scoring 19 goals and providing eight assists across 39 matches.
Data analyst Ben Mattinson has even gone as far as to dub Ekitike as “one of the best strikers out there” following his successful season.
However, the similarities with Nunez don’t end there. Ekitike is a terrific talent, versatile and multi-dimensionally skilled. However, WhoScored record that he is underperforming his xG (expected goals) by 5.29, which is the biggest underperformance across the whole of the German top flight this term.
What does this actually mean? Well, Ekitike is effectively finding space with pleasing regularity, only failing to finish his chances with the incisiveness that Liverpool have also lacked in part this season. The Frankfurt striker has averaged 3.6 shots per league game, as per Sofascore, scoring 13 goals from 26 matches.
Ekitike
26
13
18.29
– 5.29
Isak
25
19
15.55
+ 3.45
Nunez
23
5
4.83
+ 0.17
Even Nunez is marginally overperforming in front of goal this season, and he’s a notoriously shaky finisher. However, it’s worth noting that under Jurgen Klopp’s wing, the Uruguay international scored 20 times across his first two Premier League seasons, racking up an xG total of 28.55, also missing 47 big chances.
Do Liverpool really want to repeat this with a player like Ekitike? England’s top division is known for its high intensity and prevalence of tough opponents, right down to the bottom of the table.
Nunez’s time at Anfield is almost up; after three seasons, the 25-year-old has failed to kick on and is among the most likely first-teamers to be sold this summer. In January, Liverpool fended off bids from the Saudi Pro League’s Al-Nassr.
Liverpool and Slot need a fearsome goalscorer to mete out punishment on opposing defences. Isak could be that man. If he’s not, though, Ekitike may not be the best option to pick from.
He’s not been doing it long enough, hasn’t proved he’s clinical enough, to warrant a transfer fee that would deplete Liverpool’s summer resources.
Big months ahead for sporting director Richard Hughes and co.
Shades of Firmino: Liverpool ready €170m bid for "best CF in the world"
Liverpool could sign one of the most fearsome forwards on the planet.
ByMatt DawsonMar 31, 2025