Liverpool set to sign £120m Ballon d’Or favorite Ekitike 2.0

Liverpool had to watch the latter stages of the Champions League from the sofa, losing to Paris Saint-Germain for the second season running in the quarter-finals.

Over two legs, the Reds were eliminated, Arne Slot was again upset. Liverpool’s hopes of winning a silver medal this season are over, as they were again beaten by Manchester City in the FA Cup between the two legs.

Liverpool have a wealth of talent. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak alone made £240m of the money released last summer. But both have enjoyed a bit of trickery this season, and with Hugo Ekitike injured and Mohamed Salah bowing out in one month, it’s clear that FSG need to dig into their pockets to attack the changes again.

Liverpool are planning to make attacking players

While Salah is expected to return before the end of the season, Ekitike will be happy with match action before the end of the calendar year, having ruptured his Achilles during Liverpool’s Champions League second leg defeat at Anfield.

The 23-year-old has been in excellent form since arriving at Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, so for him to suffer a serious injury is a cruel, cruel blow.

The importance of signing a top player this summer has increased, and there is no mistaking it. The Reds have shown an interest in RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, but perhaps they should aim for a bigger deal.

Yes, according to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have made a new move for Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise in recent weeks, after entering into talks with representatives earlier in the campaign.

Bayern, unsurprisingly, are not interested in selling, even after placing the Frenchman in the £120m-plus bracket.

However, let’s remind ourselves of the emphatic no that Liverpool have been granted their bid for Isak. They finally signed the Swedish striker.

Why Olise could be Liverpool’s new talisman

Olise may arrive for the same price as Isak (if he arrives at all), but the Frenchman could emerge as Liverpool’s new version of Ekitike, joining his injured compatriot at Anfield from the Bundesliga.

Olise, 24, is one of the best players in the world. The former Crystal Palace man has put himself in the Ballon d’Or frame after an incredible two years in Germany, going from strength to strength since last summer and is now one of the favorites to claim the prestigious honour.

This season alone, he has been impressive, with Kane hailing his teammate as “the best player in the world”. Olise ran in the Bundesliga all year, but in the Champions League, where the stakes are high and the competition tough, he has maintained that level, scoring five goals and providing six assists in 12 games, winning 6.3 duels and completing 3.5 dribbles per game.

He plays at a higher level than Liverpool’s Ekitike, as the recruits have managed 17 times under the Slot managers this season, but Ekitike has the same ability, strong and sharp in attacking areas. In addition, Ekitike has entered the wing to accommodate Isak, something we could see again before the end of the campaign.

While Wirtz has struggled to adapt to Premier League football this year, Hammersmith-born Olise has plenty of experience in England’s toughest division.

He is a fantastic player, someone who could replace Salah but emerge as an Ektike-esque striker who could end up being Liverpool’s best player.

Ekitike will spend some time in the medical room, but Olise could take his place as Liverpool’s main attacking man, strong in the final third but also a combative and intelligent cog in the build-up.

But Ekitike is still a world-class player, who is expected to bounce back. Hopefully Olise will bring his superstar quality from the start, keeping it to Salah and the French striker’s absence as he takes Liverpool back to the top.

Related

Diomande development: Liverpool hold talks to sign “one of the best in the world”

Liverpool are focusing on a player who could succeed at Anfield.