The next Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland? Liverpool convinced of Hugo Ekitike's potential after data revealed startling comparisons to world-class strikers

The Reds found themselves in the market for more firepower during the summer of 2025. Alexander Isak was always their top target, and the Swedish striker eventually made his way to Anfield on deadline day after a protracted transfer chase.

Isak arrived on Merseyside as the most expensive player in British football, with said deal set to be worth £125 million ($170m). Liverpool already had another forward on their books by that point, with Ekitike joining from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79m ($107m).

He has impressed early in the 2025-26 campaign, with his goal account being opened in the Community Shield before going on to register Premier League efforts against Bournemouth and Liverpool. Ekitike found the target on 22 occasions for Eintracht last season.

His return of 15 Bundesliga goals was considered to be on the low side, given that said return fell 6.6 under his xG numbers, but The Athletic reports that "underlying data from director of research Will Spearman convinced Liverpool to take the plunge".

That is because statistics "showed that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe were the only strikers to have shown greater potential at a comparable age". Ekitike, who has already graced the books at Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, only turned 23 over the summer.

While he struggled to produce his best at PSG, "senior Anfield figures saw parallels with Philippe Coutinho’s time at Inter and Ryan Gravenberch’s unhappy spell at Bayern". Liverpool believe that Arne Slot can "elevate him to the next level".

The Reds also see Ekitike as a "multi-functional attacker given his ability to play as a No 9, second striker, or off the left flank", meaning that it will not be a straight fight between him and Isak to lead the line in Premier League, Champions League and domestic cup competition.