Liverpool prepare bid for £86m-rated Hugo Ekitike after being told Eintracht Frankfurt striker WANTS to join them as Newcastle drop out of race

Liverpool are readying a bid to sign Hugo Ekitike after being given all the signs the France Under-21 international wants to join them.

The Premier League Champions have been holding internal discussions all week around potential striking targets and conversations have been held, to various lengths, over names as varied as Alexander Isak, Yoane Wissa, Ollie Watkins and Victor Osimhen.

Isak, understandably, featured high at the top of the list and Liverpool were prepared to smash their transfer record again if they had been given any encouragement that Newcastle were prepared to do business.

It came apparent that doing a deal for the Sweden international would be loaded with difficulties, so Liverpool reverted to Ekitike, who has been a phenomenon in the Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Newcastle had made a £70million bid for the 22-year-old but the structure they proposed was wrong and it was also £16million short of his release clause; officials at St James’s Park also felt Ekitike wasn’t wholly convinced about moving to the North East.

That has now opened the door for Liverpool, for whom the money to do the deal will not be a problem. It seems increasingly likely, following this development, that it will be a question of when, rather than if, a deal gets concluded.

Newcastle’s Alexander Isak was a target but a move would have been loaded with difficulties

Liverpool have invested heavily this summer but are not done trying to strengthen their squad

Liverpool have invested heavily this summer and changed the face of their squad but they are looking to recoup much of what they spent. West Ham want both Harvey Elliott and Tyler Morton and it would cost in the region of £55million for the pair.

Luis Diaz is another whose situation remains uncertain. He is unlikely to be offered another contract by Liverpool and it remains to be seen whether Bayern Munich will return with another offer for the Colombian after their initial £58.5million bid was rebuffed.