Hugo Ekitike could be allowed to leave Eintracht Frankfurt this summer, sporting director Markus Krosche has admitted amid reported interest from several clubs, including Liverpool.
Liverpool-linked Ekitike has been drawing interest around Europe, and Frankfurt sporting director Krosche has now said they could “let him go” if the price is right.
Speaking to Sport1, the Frankfurt official said: “He’s one of the most interesting strikers on the European market.
“Hugo has to decide that. I’m glad we have him. If he decides otherwise, that’s our belief: if a player develops faster than us, we let him go.
“Hugo is an exceptional player who played a major role in our qualification for the Champions League . He certainly still has a lot of potential for development, as he’s only 22 years old.”
Liverpool are among several clubs said to be interested in the French forward.
At the end of March, the Mail‘s Lewis Steele reported that Ekitike is a player Liverpool’s scouts have been “monitoring closely and have been for some time.”
However, with a contract that currently runs until 2029, an obstacle to his signature could be the significant asking price of “at least” £85 million, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg.
In January, Frankfurt sold Ekitike’s attacking partner, Omar Marmoush, to Man City for £59m.
Sporting director Krosche commented: “We may have jeopardised our sporting goal in the short term, but we promised him that if a club like that came along, he would be allowed to leave.
“We depend on generating transfer revenue.”
Merseyside journalist David Lynch recently cast doubt on a transfer for Ekitike, telling Anfield Index: “The thing that’s making me sceptical is that I haven’t really been given any encouragement on the name from the Liverpool side as someone that’s been talked about a lot on the training ground or someone they’re raving about.”
While a move looks unlikely at this stage, if Liverpool were to receive a big fee for Darwin Nunez, it could allow them to spend more in attack.
Ekitike is certainly a player who would get fans excited, having scored 22 goals and set up 12 in 48 appearances this season.
As well as being able to put the ball in the net, Ekitike carries the ball brilliantly and ranks in the top four percent of comparable players across Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries and successful take-ons over the last year.
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