Eintracht Frankfurt have told Liverpool and Chelsea they will not lower their asking price for striker Hugo Ekitike.
The highly-rated 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League following a breakout season at Frankfurt.
Ekitike had never hit double digits before the 2024-25 campaign but netted 22 goals in his first full season with Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Frenchman’s form helped Frankfurt finish third in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen and go deep in the Europa League before they were knocked out by eventual winners Tottenham.
Both Liverpool and Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Ekitike this summer as Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca look to bring some firepower to Anfield and Stamford Bridge.
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Liverpool of course won the Premier League last season but did so playing without a recognised striker for most of the campaign.
One of the forwards already at Anfield, Darwin Nunez, is expected to move on amid interest from clubs in Italy, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
Chelsea are also interested in a deal for Ekitike despite welcoming England U21 striker Liam Delap to the club last week in a £30m deal from Ipswich Town.
The Premier League clubs are hoping Frankfurt will lower their asking price for Ekitike, who they value at €100m (£84m).
However, the German club appear ready to stand firm on that valuation, with sporting director Markus Krosche insisting they do not have to sell Ekitike this summer.
‘If the price isn’t right, then he’ll just stay with us,’ he told Wiesbadener Kurier. ‘We don’t have to sell Hugo.’
Ex-England defender Micah Richards recently revealed Arsenal legend Thierry Henry’s verdict on Ekitike.
‘In terms of Ekitike, I’ve spoken to Thierry Henry about him a lot,’ Manchester City hero Richards told The Rest is Football podcast.
‘He says he’s not [necessarily] a frustrating player, but one minute he looks amazing and the next minute he doesn’t really do the basics very well.
‘But he said if he gets it right and improves then his ceiling could be very, very high.’
Richards, meanwhile, is unsure whether Ekitike is an ideal fit for Slot’s Liverpool ahead of their Premier League title defence.
He added: ‘It depends on how they want to play. Do they want a striker who can stretch or they do they want a striker who is going to come to feet and interlink play?
‘Ekitike is not bad on the ball but he’s more of a stretch striker than a [Roberto] Firmino coming in deep and linking play.
‘Where does Florian Wirtz fit into that? Where does Dominik Szoboszlai fit into that? Where does Luis Diaz potentially fit into that.
‘If they get Wirtz I think they may be looking for more a player who can drop and Diaz can play a little bit deeper. He played a lot as a No.9 this season.
‘But talent wise he’s definitely got enough to add to this Liverpool side.’
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