Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 23-year-old has been signed for an initial £69m fee, with a potential £10m in add-ons.
Manchester United registered late interest in Ekitike and Newcastle were also keen admirers, but it is Liverpool who have won the race and the striker has signed a six-year contract.
The Frenchman has completed his medical and will now fly out to Hong Kong to join his new team-mates on the pre-season tour.
Liverpool announced that Ekitike’s squad number will not revealed until later this summer.
Ekitike was named in the Bundesliga team of the season last term and scored 22 goals in all competitions for Frankfurt, making it by far the most productive of his career.
He spent 18 months in Germany, having previously been at PSG where he managed only four goals in 33 Ligue 1 appearances.
Ekitike primarily plays as a central striker but will offer versatility to the Liverpool forward line, and could also be used in wide areas or as a second striker.
The arrival of the Frenchman has taken Liverpool’s summer spending to close to £300m, as he follows the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili in joining the club.
Reports suggest that the spending could be set to continue, with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi among the players strongly linked with a move to Liverpool.
