Hugo Ekitike linked up with his new Liverpool team-mates for the first time on Thursday after completing his £79million switch to Anfield.
The 23-year-old striker, who signed from Eintracht Frankfurt on a six-year deal on Wednesday, jetted to Hong Kong to join Liverpool’s preseason tour of the Far East and take part in a series of training sessions.
Given the quick turnaround, it is unlikely Ekitike will feature during Liverpool’s preseason friendly against AC Milan on Saturday, with Darwin Nunez having netted a hat-trick during the Reds’ 5-0 win over Stoke before leaving the UK.
As he made his way round the squad, Ekitike wore a beaming smile on his face and cut an excited figure – making sure to say hello to each and every one of Liverpool’s squad and staff.
The package Liverpool agreed for Ekitike was a £69m base fee plus £10m in add-ons, which are based on team and player performance.
Hugo Ekitike (centre) met up with his new Liverpool team-mates for the first time on Thursday
The 23-year-old French forward completed his £79million switch to Anfield on Wednesday
Ekitike cut an excited figure as he linked up with Virgil van Dijk (above) and Co in Hong Kong
His arrival takes Liverpool’s summer spend past a whopping £290m, with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili having already joined for sums of £116m, £29.5m, £40m and £29m respectively.
Meanwhile, there have also been a handful of departures from Anfield this summer, with Trent Alexander-Arnold joining Real Madrid, Jarell Quansah signing for Bayer Leverkusen and Caoimhin Kelleher making the switch to Brentford.
The Reds are also expected to sell a number of stars before the window closes, with the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliot all heavily linked with moves away.
Diaz, who has told Liverpool he wants to leave Anfield for a new challenge this summer, has attracted interest from several top European clubs including Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
The German giants tabled a £58.6m transfer offer to sign the Colombian earlier this month, but their approach was immediately rejected by Liverpool who brought Diaz with them on their tour of the Far East.
In a training drill just moments before Ekitike’s arrival on to the pitch, Reds legend Mohamed Salah clattered into Diaz in an effort to win the ball back, sending his team-mate to the floor in a heap before continuing with the session.
Many Liverpool fans saw the funny side on social media, joking that Salah – who committed his future to Anfield with a new contract last season – was giving the wantaway something to think about.
Mohamed Salah clattered into team-mate Luis Diaz during a training drill just moments before
Diaz, who was a key part of Liverpool’s title triumph, has told the Reds that he wants to leave
‘Salah isn’t having any of the exit talks, man’: Liverpool fans saw the funny side on social media
‘Salah isn’t having any of the exit talks, man,’ one fan posted on X.
A second added: ‘Salah telling him to buckle up.’
Another fan chimed in and said: ‘This is what happens when you want to leave.’
During Liverpool’s march to the Premier League title last season, Diaz scored 13 times and created a further five goals from 36 appearances during Slot’s debut campaign on Merseyside.
As Mail Sport reported earlier this month, Liverpool place a great deal of importance on Diaz and value him beyond £100m – the same fee Manchester United rejected for their influential captain Bruno Fernandes from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal at the beginning of June.
Saudi clubs have also been monitoring Diaz for some time, with Al-Nassr at the head of the queue. They had discussed a bid in the region of €72m (£62.5m) prior to Bayern Munich’s rejected approach.
