Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool transfer shows how much has changed since Jurgen Klopp rant

Jurgen Klopp previously claimed that Liverpool could not compete with the likes of Manchester City and PSG in the transfer market, but the Reds have spent big this summer

Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Hugo Ekitike, with the striker set to earn Eintracht Frankfurt a huge fee that could exceed the €95million (£82.3m) they received when Randal Kolo Muani joined Paris Saint-Germain if all the add-ons are met.

The Ekitike deal will take Liverpool’s spending spree this summer to around £300m, which would make it the second-highest in a single transfer window in English football history behind Chelsea’s in the summer of 2023.

The Reds have already signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a British-record fee, while Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman have also made the move to Anfield this summer.

Liverpool’s spending comes just three years after former manager Jurgen Klopp claimed “no one can compete” in the transfer market with clubs like Manchester City, PSG and Newcastle, who are all state-owned.

“Nobody can compete with City,” he said in October 2022. “You have the best team in the world and you put in the best striker on the market, no matter what it costs, you just do it. I know City will not like it, nobody will like it.

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“You’ve asked the question but you know the answer. What does Liverpool do? We cannot act like them. It is not possible. Not possible. It is just clear and again you know the answer. There are three clubs in world football who can do what they want financially.

“It’s legal and everything, fine, but they can do what they want. They will say ‘yeah but we have…’ but it’s exactly the fact. I heard now that at Newcastle somebody said ‘there is no ceiling for this club’.

“Yes! He is right. He is absolutely right. There is no ceiling for Newcastle. Congratulations, but other clubs have ceilings.”

When Klopp left Liverpool in 2024, the Reds had the lowest net spend among the ‘Big Six’ clubs and they made just one signing in Arne Slot’s first season in charge with Federico Chiesa joining from Juventus for around £12.5m.

However, things have clearly changed this summer as Liverpool look to build on last season’s successes. They are also England’s most profitable club and have raised funds in recent seasons with the sales of Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg.

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