Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool: Striker's chances of pre-season AC Milan appearance assessed as Premier League targets set

Hugo Ekitike may not make the starting XI for Liverpool against AC Milan on Saturday, but he has a strong chance to feature once his medical is complete, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.

The Premier League champions have agreed a deal with Eintracht Frankfurt for the striker worth an initial £69m, and reports suggest that he will undergo his medical tests on Tuesday.

Arne Slot's squad is currently in Hong Kong as part of their pre-season tour of Asia, and fans will hope to catch a glimpse of Ekitike when the Reds take on Milan on Saturday.

When asked by Sports Mole if the Frenchman would start, Lynch thought that a place on the bench would be more likely, saying: "The plan for him is to undergo his medical on Tuesday and then after that, later in the week, it was put to me that he could fly out to be part of the Asia tour.

"Time is tight and they want to get these players integrated as quickly as possible, so it's important that they do that and yes, they're going to get him over as soon as they possibly can to take part in training. As for the AC Milan game, he's had a full pre-season so far. He's been fit and he's been working with Eintracht Frankfurt.

"He should be in decent shape. Maybe not one where he comes into the starting XI, but they would like to get him some minutes because any opportunity he gets to play with his teammates, get more of an understanding of how certain players want to pass, how they want to move would definitely be helpful."

Considering Liverpool have also signed attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz this summer, helping Ekitike develop an understanding with the playmaker could be vital for the Reds' title defence.

What are Ekitike's Premier League targets?

Ekitike is certain to come into the starting XI next season, and he will be expected to improve upon the performances of striker Darwin Nunez, who scored just five top-flight goals in 2024-25.

The Uruguayan also struggled with Slot's demands of facilitating play for other attackers like Mohamed Salah, an area that Ekitike excels in.

While the forward's fee is significant, Lynch does not believe he has to score considerably more than Nunez to have a positive impact, when he told Sports Mole: "[Facilitator is] the key word. It's the one Arne Slot used. He wants his centre-forward to be able to finish chances and get chances but he also wants him to be a facilitator.

"If you are a net positive for the team in terms of what you do in build-up, then it lessens the goal burden on you. It's also helpful that you've got Mo Salah in the team who's going to bash past 20 league goals almost as a guarantee every single season.

"If Ekitike can finish the chances that come to him at a decent level, continue to get shots and be involved in build-up and gets 10 to 15 goals, then you'd be more than happy with that. I think that's the expectation."

Ekitike is comfortable dropping deep to collect possession, and his technical quality on the ball could help get the best out of Liverpool's wide attackers.

Why Darwin Nunez comparisons do not make sense

Some Reds supporters are concerned about the risk of Ekitike struggling in the Premier League, especially as Nunez failed to replicate the form that he showed for Benfica at Anfield.

Last season in the Bundesliga, the Liverpool-bound forward scored 15 goals but underperformed his expected goals figure by more than six, leading to claims that he is an inconsistent finisher like Nunez.

Lynch dismissed such comparisons and highlighted that 2024-25 was an outlier for Ekitike in terms of finishing, telling Sports Mole: "You look at Darwin Nunez's first season, he gets nine league goals, second season 11 league goals. Anything the other side of that for Ekitike you're happy with.

"He's capable of getting 10, 15 goals and maybe [more than that]. One of the things Liverpool see in him is that while he had a bad finishing season last season, he's generally a decent finisher.

"If he runs level to his expected goals and he continues [producing the high volume of shots] at the rate that he did in the Bundesliga, or even close to that, he should get plenty of chances at Liverpool and the opportunities to put those away."

It should be noted that Ekitike has proven he can be deadly from within the penalty area, but he often attempts shots from poor locations which inflate his xG total, so perhaps he will be even more prolific if he refines his shot selection.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on whether Hugo Ekitike will play for Liverpool against AC Milan

Written by
Lewis Nolan