Hugo Ekitike is scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong today to begin pre-season with his new Liverpool teammates and has been assigned the No. 54 shirt as a temporary squad number, according to The Athletic’s James Pearce.
Liverpool completed the signing of the Eintracht Frankfurt forward on Wednesday after he successfully passed his medical and agreed personal terms with the Reds.
Ekitike joins Liverpool after a season-and-a-half in Germany, having initially moved to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
During his time in the Bundesliga, the attacker scored 26 goals in 64 appearances and earned a place in the Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2024-25.
Prior to his move to Germany, the France U21 international began his professional career at Stade de Reims and made 33 appearances for PSG, where he also won a Ligue 1 winner’s medal.
The 23-year-old is the latest signing under manager Arne Slot, joining fellow summer arrivals Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili, and Florian Wirtz.
Djibril Cisse claimed that Ekitike “would’ve been crazy” to turn down a move to Liverpool this summer.
However, the former Reds striker has also warned his French compatriot that he now needs to justify his near £80million price tag at Anfield.
“He would’ve been crazy not to go,” Djibril Cisse told L’Equipe.
“Now he has to perform. In his profile he is a bit of a ‘target man’, like Peter Crouch – he’s the only one in the squad.
“In Germany, he might have had more time to express himself. In England, the intensity will shock him.
“At Arsenal or Chelsea, the French really left a mark. At Liverpool, maybe some came too young or weren’t ready.
“But one day, one of us will break through and set the tone.”
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