Liverpool are in advanced negotiations to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike in a deal reportedly worth more than £70million, according to BBC Sport.
The Reds aim to finalise the transfer by this weekend.
Newcastle United previously had a £70 million offer for Ekitike rejected by Frankfurt, but Liverpool’s bid is expected to exceed that amount.
Ekitike is reportedly open to joining the Premier League champions, who are actively seeking to strengthen their attack with a central striker.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have also expressed significant interest in Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, though the Magpies remain adamant that the Swedish forward is not for sale at any price.
This summer, Liverpool have already invested heavily, signing midfielder Florian Wirtz in a potential British record £116 million deal, as well as full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong for £40 million and £30 million respectively.
With Newcastle’s pursuit of Ekitike stalling, they are expected to intensify their interest in Brentford striker Yoane Wissa within the next 24 hours.
Eddie Howe’s side have pursued Ekitike on multiple occasions, with attempts made in the summer of 2022 and again during the January transfer window this year.
Despite these efforts, Newcastle have struggled to bring in new signings this summer, having sold Sean Longstaff to Leeds United without securing replacements.
Liverpool, on the other hand, are reinforcing their squad following their 20th league title but are still looking to add another striker.
Secondary targets discussed on Merseyside include Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Brentford’s Yoane Wissa.
Elsewhere, Liverpool have rejected an initial bid from Bayern Munich for Luis Diaz.
The Bundesliga champions’ £58.5million offer fell short of Liverpool’s £86million valuation of the Colombian winger.
Similarly, Napoli have shown interest in Darwin Nunez, but their opening offer of £55million plus add-ons did not meet Liverpool’s asking price for the Uruguay international.
Beyond Newcastle and Liverpool, Ekitike has attracted interest from other Premier League clubs.
Manchester United reportedly enquired about his availability earlier in the window, while Chelsea considered him before opting to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich and former Brighton forward João Pedro.
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