‘It’s a massive gamble’ – Liverpool have lost millions after deal confirmed
Liverpool have lost out on millions after agreeing a deal which has been described as a “massive gamble”.
Arne Slot’s side are aiming to defend their Premier League title next season, and they have been incredibly active in the transfer window as they look to improve their squad.
The Reds signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, as well as adding full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
Last week, Liverpool added yet another star to their squad, bringing Hugo Ekitike to Anfield for a fee of around £79million.
However, Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the Reds overpaid in the Ekitike deal.
‘Liverpool paid £10m too much for Ekitike’
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that £70m would have been a fair price for Ektike, £10m less than what Liverpool ended up paying.
Last season, the French striker impressed in the Bundesliga for Frankfurt, scoring 15 goals as well as picking up eight assists.
Wyness added that it is a gamble for Liverpool to spend such an amount of money on a relatively unproven player.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It’s a gamble and there’s a question mark. I think they did overpay by about £10m. It probably should have been around about the £70m mark.
“Nevertheless, they’ve got it done. They’ve given the manager the player early, given them every chance to settle in, which is going to make a big difference and lessen the risk as well.
“So good business from Liverpool and look, they’ll sell other assets and bring some more money in. But still in my mind, that is a high price at £79m.”
Liverpool eye another star signing
Meanwhile, Football Insider have exclusively revealed that Liverpool still have a “concrete” interest in signing Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi.
The 25-year-old has entered the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park and has informed the club he is not planning to sign an extension.
Sources say Liverpool are still working in the background to land a deal for Guehi and are expected to make a fresh approach to Palace in the coming weeks.
Football Insider exclusively revealed on 20 June that Guehi wants to join Liverpool and will prioritise their offer ahead of the likes of Newcastle and Tottenham.
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