Hugo Ekitike's Rising Transfer Value Amid Injury Setback

Hugo Ekitike will not kick a ball for Liverpool for months, yet his price tag is going in only one direction – up.

The 24-year-old striker, sidelined by a ruptured Achilles since April, has been handed an estimated transfer value of £116million by the CIES Football Observatory. For a player not expected back until late 2026 or even the early part of next year, it is a remarkable figure, but one that reflects both his impact and the current market.

A £79m gamble that caught fire

Liverpool paid £79m to prise Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer. It looked bold at the time. It looked inspired by spring.

In his first seven months at Anfield, Ekitike rattled in 17 goals and quickly became the focal point of a reshaped attack. He offered pace, movement, and a penalty-box instinct Liverpool had been crying out for. Then the Achilles went, and the entire plan had to be ripped up.

Despite that, CIES’ model places him in the £116m bracket, with market inflation and realistic buying-club behaviour built into their calculations. In plain terms: this is roughly what a top European side would now be expected to pay.

Given his age, output and profile, that club would almost inevitably be Paris Saint-Germain. The French champions have already normalised nine-figure deals, so Ekitike’s valuation sits comfortably in that inflated landscape.

Iraola’s bleak timeline

Any hope of a quick return has already been shut down. Andoni Iraola, assessing his long-term absentees in July, made it clear Ekitike is nowhere near a comeback.

“In terms of order, I think the closest one to returning is [Giovanni] Leoni. After will be Conor [Bradley] and Hugo, but especially the last two are still way off. We are talking about months and still a lot of time out,” he said.

Liverpool are planning without him for the first half of the season at the very least. His valuation may be rising, but his boots will stay on the treatment-room floor for some time yet.

Isak’s burden and a Cody question

Ekitike is not the only one whose absence has shaped Liverpool’s plans. Serious knee injuries to Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni, along with Alexander Isak’s own disrupted campaign, have left Iraola juggling options.

Isak, when fit, will be central to what Liverpool do. The Swede missed a large portion of last season, but this time he is expected to shoulder much of the scoring load while Ekitike recovers.

Iraola has also floated a different solution: Cody Gakpo as a No 9.

“I think Cody can play as a 9. Not tried it pre-season because we don't have enough wingers. He knows what we need from him in his preferred position as a left-winger but I have spoken to him about his minutes as a 9. He's done it before and he can help us there,” the Liverpool boss explained.

The idea is clear. If the wide areas are covered, Gakpo can be pushed inside and used as a central striker, at least until the injury crisis eases.

Transfer dominoes waiting to fall

That plan, though, is not set in stone. Tottenham are circling Gakpo, and there is no guarantee the Dutchman is still at Anfield when the window shuts in September.

His future is tied to a chain of potential moves. Bradley Barcola’s arrival from Paris Saint-Germain could open the door for Gakpo to leave, but only if Liverpool strengthen again. One of Yankuba Minteh or Ibrahim Mbaye – or even both – would likely need to come through the door before the club felt comfortable cashing in on Gakpo.

So Liverpool head into the new season with a forward line in flux. A new-look attack is taking shape: two summer additions, Isak ready to feel like a fresh signing if he explodes from the start, and somewhere in the background a £116m striker rehabbing an Achilles, waiting for his moment to rejoin the story.

When Ekitike finally does, how different will Liverpool’s front line look around him?