According to Sky Sports, Liverpool agreed to a transfer fee of $93 million for Ekitike, with an additional $13.5 million in potential add-ons based on his performance. This brings the total potential cost of the deal to $106 million.
 |
Hugo Ekitike during his Liverpool debut on 23/7. Photo: Liverpool FC |
Hugo Ekitike during his Liverpool debut on 23/7. Photo: Liverpool FC
Liverpool previously made a $160 million bid for Alexander Isak, which was rejected by Newcastle. Newcastle themselves had also inquired about Ekitike with a club-record $95 million offer, but Frankfurt declined. Liverpool then entered the picture and secured a deal with the Bundesliga side in under a week.
Ekitike is Liverpool's fourth signing of the summer, following attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Leverkusen for $170 million, left-back Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for $54 million, and right-back Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen for $40 million.
Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili also joined Anfield from Valencia for $39 million. The two clubs reached an agreement in the summer of 2024, but Mamardashvili remained at Valencia on loan for another season before officially joining Liverpool for the 2025-2026 season.
With a total expenditure of $409 million, Liverpool is the biggest spender in the Premier League. Following closely behind are Chelsea ($296 million), Man City ($174 million), Arsenal ($163 million), Tottenham ($150 million), and newcomer Sunderland ($145 million).
 |
Florian Wirtz (front) and Mohamed Salah during a Liverpool training session in Hong Kong on 22/7. Photo: Liverpool FC |
Florian Wirtz (front) and Mohamed Salah during a Liverpool training session in Hong Kong on 22/7. Photo: Liverpool FC
This summer marks Liverpool's most expensive transfer window in history, and there are no signs of slowing down. Their previous record was $217 million in the summer of 2018, which brought in Fabinho, Naby Keita, Alisson Becker, and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Under the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR), clubs are allowed a maximum loss of $142 million over three years.
According to football finance expert Swiss Ramble, Liverpool currently has a $65 million profit over the last three-year cycle due to their conservative spending in previous transfer windows. This surplus allows them to spend an additional $215 million while still adhering to PSR in the upcoming season.
Liverpool recently announced record revenue of $833 million for the 2023-2024 season, driven by commercial success, broadcast rights, and strong on-field performance. This figure is projected to increase in the 2024-2025 season with their Premier League title win and Champions League participation.
Liverpool also sold academy graduate Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for nearly $50 million, generating a 100% profit under PSR. Previously, backup goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was sold to Brentford for a starting price of $17 million. Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott, and Luis Diaz could be the next players to leave Anfield.
Hong Duy (Sky Sports)
