Liverpool won the race to sign one of Europe's most exciting forwards when Hugo Ekitike joined the club in the summer of 2025.

The sought-after French attacker arrived as a new option for Arne Slot's reigning Premier League champions, agreeing a long-term contract to seal a transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Born in Reims, he started out in football with nearby Cormontreuil FC before signing for the academy of his hometown club in 2013.

Ekitike's abilities stood him out as a notable talent during his advancement up through the age groups of Stade de Reims, and he was awarded a first professional contract in the summer of 2020.

His senior debut for the club came in October of the same year, before a loan move to Danish Superliga side Vejle Boldklub was arranged for the second half of the 2021-22 campaign.

Ekitike successfully broke into the XI there and contributed three goals and two assists from 11 appearances to set himself up for a return to Reims that would see his development take a big leap.

The 6ft3in centre-forward featured in 26 league and cup matches for Reims in 2021-22, supplying 11 goals and four assists to stir significant interest from around the continent in recruiting him.

Paris Saint-Germain proved to be his next destination, Ekitike moving to the capital – initially on loan – to form part of a squad already boasting attacking riches such as Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Despite that level of competition, Hugo made 14 starts and 18 substitute appearances for PSG in 2022-23 and had his first taste of Champions League football.

The season ended with him lifting a league title, too, having contributed to his team's championship glory in Ligue 1, edging out Lens to top the table by a single point.

Ekitike's move to Paris was made permanent in the summer of 2023 but he found game time limited with PSG thereafter. It's an experience he believes was key in shaping his mentality.

"Obviously in terms of longevity, I'm not going to say that my time in Paris was the happiest moment of my life," he once explained. "But when I look back, I say to myself that maybe it was necessary."

A loan move to Eintracht at the beginning of 2024 offered Ekitike a new avenue for progress – and, to extend the metaphor, he sprinted along it.

Four goals and two assists in the Bundesliga during his temporary stint convinced Frankfurt of his potential and the switch became permanent ahead of 2024-25.

That campaign saw Ekitike become one of the most prolific and creative players in Germany's top flight, 33 appearances including 15 goals and eight assists to help his team to a third-placed finish and earn him a spot in the division's Team of the Season.

He added seven more strikes in the cup and Europa League, where Eintracht enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals before a narrow elimination to eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur.

A host of European clubs were now again circling to recruit Hugo and it was new Premier League champions Liverpool who secured his signature in time for 2025-26.