Hugo Ekitike's Rising Value Amid Injury Woes
Hugo Ekitike hasn’t kicked a ball since April. His Achilles tendon went, his season collapsed, and Liverpool were left without the striker who had lit up Anfield for seven blistering months.
His value? That’s going the other way.
The 24-year-old French forward, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79million last summer, is now estimated to be worth up to £116m, according to CIES Football Observatory. A player on crutches, but a price tag heading into the stratosphere.
A £116m forward on the treatment table
Ekitike’s first campaign in red was shaping into something serious before it snapped. Seventeen goals in seven months, a seamless adaptation to the Premier League, and the sense Liverpool had found their next long-term No 9.
Then came the rupture in April. A long-term Achilles injury, the kind that doesn’t just sideline you, it steals months of rhythm and sharpness. He is not expected back until late 2026 or even early next year, depending on how his recovery unfolds.
Yet the market is ruthless and romantic at the same time. CIES’ model, which folds in age, position, contract, performance data, market inflation and what buying clubs tend to pay, has pushed his value into nine figures. At 24, with his best years still ahead, the algorithm likes what it sees.
The logic is simple enough. Elite forwards in their mid-20s are gold dust. Add French nationality and the spectre of Paris Saint-Germain lurking in every major valuation, and the £116m figure suddenly looks less wild. In an era of triple-figure deals, Ekitike’s number sits comfortably in that bracket.
Iraola’s blunt injury reality
The optimism around his long-term value doesn’t change the short-term reality for Liverpool or Andoni Iraola. They will be without Ekitike for a long stretch yet.
Speaking in July, Iraola laid out the situation with his long-term absentees. It wasn’t sugar-coated.
“In terms of order, I think the closest one to returning is [Giovanni] Leoni. After will be Conor [Bradley] and Hugo, but especially the last two are still way off. We are talking about months and still a lot of time out.”
Leoni, Bradley, Ekitike – three names on a list Liverpool would rather not have. Bradley and another key figure, Alexander Isak, both suffered serious knee injuries last season, with the Swede missing a large portion of the campaign.
Isak’s importance now spikes. With Ekitike out for the first half of the season at least, the Swede becomes central to any title or top-four push. If he starts fast, he could feel like a new signing himself.
Gakpo’s dilemma and a reshaped front line
Iraola has already floated one solution to the Ekitike problem. Cody Gakpo as a No 9.
“I think Cody can play as a 9. Not tried it pre-season because we don't have enough wingers. He knows what we need from him in his preferred position as a left-winger but I have spoken to him about his minutes as a 9. He's done it before and he can help us there.”
Gakpo has the frame, the touch and the finishing to operate centrally. But there’s a twist. There is no certainty he will still be at Anfield when the window closes.
Tottenham are interested. They see a versatile forward entering his peak, and they sense an opportunity.
Liverpool’s stance could be shaped by what happens elsewhere. Bradley Barcola’s arrival from Paris Saint-Germain offers one attacking option, but any green light for Gakpo to leave would likely depend on more business. The club are looking at Yankuba Minteh and Ibrahim Mbaye, and a scenario where one or even both arrive would change the picture.
This is not a minor reshuffle. Liverpool look set to attack the new season with a frontline that feels very different: two summer additions, Isak back and expected to carry a heavy load, and their most expensive injured striker watching it all unfold from the sidelines.
Ekitike’s value may be soaring on paper. The real question is what Liverpool will look like by the time he’s finally ready to step back onto the pitch.
