Defeat Newcastle! Liverpool made another heavy blow, and Ekitic, who has 22 goals in 48 games, is about to land.

According to the authoritative sports media "The Athletic", Premier League champion Liverpool is close to completing the acquisition process of Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitic. The two clubs have reached an agreement on a transfer agreement, and the 23-year-old French striker's joining will add another important step to Liverpool's lineup reshaping this summer.

The financial structure of this transaction is quite considerable. Liverpool will first pay an initial fixed fee of £69 million, and the contract includes a floating surcharge worth £10 million, making the total value of the deal up to £79 million. It is reported that Ekitic will sign a long-term contract with Liverpool for six years. After all transfer procedures are completed, he will fly directly to Hong Kong to meet with his new teammates who are preparing for pre-season.

This former French U21 international (played 5 times, no record of adult national team appearances) has been the focus of other Premier League clubs. Newcastle United had offered him a £65 million offer, but after Frankfurt rejected the Magpies eventually withdrew from the battle.

The reason why Ekitic has attracted such a high transfer investment is closely related to his highlight performance in the Bundesliga last season. He contributed 22 goals in 48 games for Frankfurt, which is the season with the most goals in a single season so far in his personal career.

's signing of Ekitic is another strong evidence of Liverpool's continued strategic reinforcement this summer. Before this, the club had officially finalized many powerful new players including Florian Werz, Jeremy Flinpong, Milos Kolkz and goalkeeper Georgi Mamaldashvili.

In the modern football transfer market, for young forwards who have proved their efficient scoring ability in the top league and are still in the rising age, the willingness of top clubs to pay huge transfer fees and provide long-term contracts has become a common investment strategy aimed at locking in the core attack power for many years to come.