Liverpool needs regular Indian center, aiming at Henry for second

Liverpool won the second Premier League Championship trophy in team history 4 rounds ahead of schedule in the past 2024/25 season. The whole process has not been challenged too much, but this does not mean that the Reds' journey will still be smooth next season.

Arnold's departure is a foregone conclusion. 31-year-old veteran Robertson also expressed his hint of retreating in an interview recently. Liverpool will face blood swaps in the left and right defenders and need to introduce powerful players.

In addition to this, Liverpool has been missing a regular center. The 32-year-old Salah is not old. He won the Premier League Golden Boot for the fourth time last season with 29 goals. In this honor, he is comparable to Premier League legend Henry, but he is determined by the technical characteristics of the wing and cannot enhance the Reds' offensive firepower in the middle.

Jota and Nunes can reach the center position, but it is difficult for them to take on the heavy responsibility of the regular center in terms of playing time, goal efficiency, or fulcrum role. In order to enrich the offensive skills and tactics, head coach Slott made a request to the club to introduce center position players.

It is reported that Frankfurt's Ekitic became Slot's first target for signings at the center. Ekitic is only 22 years old. In addition to having a record of playing for the French U20 national team, he has never been selected for the French national team. However, Ekitic has grown very quickly since joining Frankfurt from Paris Saint-Germain last summer. He played in 48 games for the Iron Eagles last season, contributing 22 goals and 12 assists. Many European football legends even regard Ekitic as Henry's second.

Frankfurt spent only 16.5 million euros in transfer fees when introducing Ekitic from Paris Saint-Germain last year. Due to Ekitic's continued highlight performance for a season, his international transfer market value has soared to 55 million euros. However, the Iron Eagles' appetite is far more than that. They offered Liverpool a sky-high price of 100 million pounds, and the two sides have a big difference on Ekitic's transfer fees.

Moreover, Liverpool has to face competition from Chelsea, and the Blues are eager for Ekitic, a young talent. In addition, Liverpool's signings at left and right full-back positions cannot be careless. The two sides are offensive channels that the Reds rely heavily on. Flynnon and Wilz are also very close to joining. After Liverpool spent considerable costs on these recruitment projects, how much financial resources and confidence they still have to negotiate with Frankfurt has become a big question mark.

It is too early to compare Ekitic with Henry, and it is not ruled out that it was his agent who did it intentionally to build momentum. Whether Liverpool can strengthen the center position and whether Ekitic can come to Anfield this summer may be answered soon.