Liverpool lead race for “terrifyingly good” £85m ace

This is the summer of the striker, with Premier League champions Liverpool just one of many elite clubs who are prioritising the purchase of a new number nine.

Indeed, Arsenal’s lengthy wait for a centre-forward looks set to come to an end with the addition of Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, while Manchester United have also earmarked the likes of Ollie Watkins amid their own search for an upgrade.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have already brought in Club World Cup hero Joao Pedro to ‘replace’ their prior summer signing, Liam Delap, while at Tottenham Hotspur, a reunion could be on the cards for Thomas Frank and Brentford’s Yoane Wissa.

The merry-go-round of transfer deals has been particularly enthralling this summer, with that none more true than with the Reds’ interest in both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike.

With Darwin Nunez looking all but certain to depart – while Luis Diaz remains a target for Bayern Munich – a new attacking figurehead is surely needed at Anfield, with Arne Slot and co identifying Ekitike as the alternative to their dream target, Isak.

A bid for the Frenchman appears to be in the works, although the Merseysiders might also have their eye on an even more exciting deal…

Liverpool’s ongoing transfer search

As was evident last term, Slot’s side more than got by without an orthodox marksman leading the line, with Diaz netting 17 times in all competitions, while Cody Gakpo chipped in with 18 goals of his own.

With 34-goal superstar Mohamed Salah still the main man on the right flank, a more fluid approach to the forward line has thus far worked a treat in the Slot regime, with Liverpool’s club-record pursuit of Nunez having unfortunately backfired.

That plan could continue with the signing of Real Madrid star, Rodrygo, with the Brazilian – who can operate all across the front line – having been earmarked as a marquee summer target for those at Anfield.

As per reports in Spain, the Reds are actually leading the race for the 24-year-old’s signature, with the versatile winger already believed to have given his endorsement to the move.

While both Bayern and Chelsea are also said to be in the frame, it is Liverpool who are at the front of the queue right now, with negotiations ‘already underway’ and ‘steady progress’ having been made.

Said to be valued at €100m £85m), the former Santos starlet has reportedly been told he can leave the Bernabeu this summer. Madrid’s ‘trash’ could then prove to be Liverpool’s treasure.

Why Rodrygo would be a better deal than Ekitike

As already stated, Liverpool appear to be in need of a new number nine, with that man Nunez ending 2024/25 with just seven goals to his name in all competitions – three fewer than Man United struggler, Rasmus Hojlund.

Ekitike, following his 22-goal season in Germany, would undoubtedly fit the bill, with TNT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves even going as far as to suggest that he is the “perfect centre-forward”.

That said, that campaign represents the major standout of his career to date, having actually only scored 44 goals in total at senior level from 136 games – excluding his time in Stade Reims’ B team.

Rodrygo, by contrast, is only a year older than the Frenchman, but has already racked up far more experience at the top level, scoring 68 times in 270 games at Madrid, alongside providing a further 51 assists.

That has come despite the Brazil international typically lining up in a right-wing berth, despite looking better suited either on the opposite side, or as a centre-forward. Indeed, former boss Carlo Ancelotti previously suggested that he saw him “more as a centre forward than a wide man.”

While Ekitike struggled to make his mark at an elite outfit like Paris Saint-Germain, where he scored just four goals in 33 games, Rodrygo has more than impressed even amid the intense competition for places in the Spanish capital.

On the Champions League stage, in particular, he has already scored 25 times from just 65 appearances, with his finishing levels having been described as “terrifyingly good” by journalist Sam Tighe in the past.

For comparison, Ekitike has only made four appearances in Europe’s premier competition, while failing to score.

Ekitike, it must be said, is a real talent, but it would surely represent an even bigger coup to land Rodrygo, particularly for what could prove to be a ‘modest’ £85m fee.

If Isak is no longer in the equation, perhaps there is a world in which both men end up in Slot’s side, ahead of next season?