Liverpool 'admit defeat' in pursuit of £100m striker as Arne Slot goes back to the drawing board

The Reds have already spent close to £200m this summer on Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman, making them the window’s biggest spenders so far.

Attention has now shifted to signing a new centre-forward. Darwin Nunez had been expected to leave the club this summer, but the death of Diogo Jota reported this morning (July 3) may have changed things.

Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg recently revealed that Liverpool were weighing up three main options to bolster their attack - Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ekitike, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Newcastle’s Isak.

Posting on X, Plettenberg said: “Liverpool are currently focusing on three concrete options in their search for a new number nine - Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, and Victor Osimhen.

“LFC have conducted thorough checks and gathered information on all of them. Ekitike, for example, is very high on the list.

“The French striker knows that if he moves to Liverpool, he will need to be patient because the club must sell players first.”

Reports this week have outlined that Liverpool are after a centre-forward with pace, strong pressing qualities and excellent link-up play - and Ekitike is seen as the best fit.

Football oulet CaughtOffside has since reported that after “extensive scouting and internal analysis,” Arne Slot has made the 23-year-old Frenchman Liverpool’s “priority target.”