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Transfer news latest, done deals, analysis and your views Ekitike latest: Liverpool have 'serious interest' in Frankfurt forward; Newcastle had initial £70m bid turned down Ekitike gossip: Liverpool reach an agreement with Ekitike as Newcastle leave deal and explore move for Wissa Isak latest: Liverpool interested but would have to break the British transfer record to even stand a chance of signing him from Newcastle WSL transfer: Smith joins Arsenal for world record £1m fee - Smith's 'an eye-catching recruit' Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Written by Katie Stafford, Ben Ramsdale, Alex Fletcher, Karan Vinod & Ijeoma Osadebe. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say I can already hear the Kop singing "Ekitike you and I know! " Scott Sami Mokbel BBC Sport Senior football correspondent Liverpool are in advanced talks to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike in a deal in excess of £70m. Multiple sources have indicated that Liverpool aim to have the transfer wrapped up by the weekend. Newcastle have already had a £70million offer for Ekitike rejected by Frankfurt, with Liverpool's offer expected to surpass the Magpies' bid. Ekitike is open to joining the Premier League champions, who want to sign a new central striker. Liverpool have also shown a major interest in Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, but the Magpies are adamant the Swede is not for sale at any price. Liverpool have already signed midfielder Florian Wirtz in a potential British record £116m deal this summer and paid £40m and £30m respectively for full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. Newcastle are expected to accelerate their interest in Brentford striker Yoane Wissa in the next 24 hours after their own attempts to land Ekitike slowed. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say For the first time in years I feel that this season is really wide open with Chelsea and Newcastle having the potential to challenge Liverpool, Arsenal and City. Add into this the recruitment still to be done (or not) and it's all building up to a very exciting season! Richard, East Sussex Aston Villa lost 1-0 at League Two side Walsall in their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday. Harrison Burke's close-range strike in the 38th minute proved to be the only goal of the game at Bescot Stadium. It was a young Villa squad that travelled and 22 players were given minutes. Senior players who started included Pau Torres, Ross Barkley and Jacob Ramsey, while Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara were among those who featured in the second half. Meanwhile, former Villa winger Albert Adomah was playing for the Saddlers. Unai Emery's men head to Germany to face Hansa Rostock on Saturday for their second of an eight-match pre-season campaign. Aston Villa are among the Premier League clubs weighing up a move for Alejandro Garnacho, according to the Mail. The 21-year-old was told by manager Ruben Amorim that he can leave Manchester United, in the wake of their Europa League final defeat to Spurs. Garnacho has made 93 appearances for the Reds since making his debut in April 2022. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say I don't envy Slot's job of trying to galvanise the Liverpool team after a traumatic summer - incredible difficult job. I hope Liverpool can do it for Jota, but it remains to be seen what impact it will have. Mark This is Liverpool's transition year. Gave it a year to see what Slot needed. VVD has a monumental task on his hands to bed in new signings whilst managing a grieving squad. If Arsenal sign a top striker I think this will finally be there time. I hope not. Charlie Hugo Ekitike could be on his way to Anfield if those reports are true. So let's take a minute to remind ourselves of how we have got here - and I'll try to keep it as simple as possible. Newcastle had a bid of £70m turned down by Eintracht Frankfurt for Ekitike earlier this week. The Bundesliga side's sporting director Markus Krosche said that they will not let him go for less than £86m. Premier League champions Liverpool are also in the market for a central striker and had been linked with a record British fee for Newcastle's Alexander Isak. But then came the plot twist, as Liverpool were also said to have 'serious interest' in Newcastle's target Ekitike. Hold that previous thought because Liverpool have reached an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for striker Hugo Ekitike, according to various reports. If Newcastle were to sell Alexander Isak for a British record fee of £130m then they would need to think very carefully about how to replace him. Callum Wilson has already departed the club this summer upon the conclusion of his contract, so the Magpies are in the market for one forward as things stand. Hugo Ekitike scored 15 league goals in 31 starts for Eintract Frankfurt last season and played as a striker 95% of the time. Newcastle have had their initial bid of £70m turned down by the Bundesliga club, but they are capable of upping that fee, especially if Isak departs for £130m. Champions League football returns to St James' Park next season so a condensed fixture schedule awaits them. Eddie Howe, will no doubt, want to give it a good go in Europe as well as push for another top four finish. He will need his front line firing to do that. But whether Isak will stay as their main man, or be joined by Ekitike, or replaced by Ekitike, remains unclear. Alex Howell BBC football news reporter Fulham are the only Premier League side yet to complete a signing. The Cottagers have made an approach to re-sign Reiss Nelson. The winger spent last season on loan at Fulham. Fulham are calm about the situation and believe it's just as important to fight off bids for their current players as well as bringing in new talent. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Other than the obvious answer, Newcastle do seem the most likely second-best bet, especially if their summer can land them another attacking option and defence boost too. Their flow state flexible tactics is versatile and adaptable, with a bit more depth and consistency they will really challenge Liverpool. Luke Kieran Maguire Football finance expert Liverpool have been outside the top-10 spenders on player signings since 2019, but their model is a classic case of being smarter rather than bigger. They are a super smart football club. Their model has been to ignore the noise and only buy a player if they truly improve the squad. It's a Moneyball, more analytical approach. Chief executive Michael Edwards does a brilliant job and he never buys players because of external pressure. He doesn't get jittery when fans call for more signings. Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and potentially Isak are big signings, but they all improve the Liverpool squad, and the Reds do have an awful lot of PSR headroom. Out of the traditional big six clubs, they've spent the least in this three-year cycle - only £325m - and that includes their signing of Florian Wirtz. Plus, a move for a striker is likely to be paid in instalments, meaning the cost can be spread over multiple seasons. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say If Liverpool successfully sign Alexander Isak, their spending will amount to around £300m already. Will we see the same amount of criticism levelled at them for their expenditure as we do for City and Chelsea? Richard Emma Sanders BBC Sport women’s football news reporter Arsenal did not want to sit still after winning the Women’s Champions League title and vowed to strengthen their squad. This is an eye-catching recruit that does just that with Olivia Smith widely considered one of the WSL’s most exciting youngsters, with a high ceiling of potential. She brings pace and directness to Arsenal’s attacking line-up and has already proven herself in the WSL with a successful season at Liverpool. There has been longstanding interest in Smith from Arsenal, who were beaten to her signature by Liverpool in 2024 and they have always been ready to spend should they need to. The 20-year-old had several suitors but it is believed she was impressed by Arsenal’s recruitment presentation and feels she can improve at the club. Having left home as a teenager to play professional football in Portugal, then leap up to the WSL, all by the age of 20, Arsenal think she has proven her character and ability to be part of an elite squad. Arsenal have given her a four-year deal and are pleased with their summer business so far with three new faces, plus Chloe Kelly in on a permanent deal, ready to start pre-season training, which begins on Thursday. The European champions remain open to strengthening further but with Smith, they have scooped up their primary target. Canada forward Olivia Smith has become the most expensive signing in women's football history by completing a £1m move to Arsenal from Liverpool. The 20-year-old, who made her international debut at 15, has signed a four-year deal with the Champions League holders. Smith's move breaks the record set by Chelsea in January when they signed USA defender Naomi Girma for £900, 000 from San Diego Wave. Trevor Francis became the first £1m men's player when he joined Nottingham Forest 46 years ago. Smith, who only turned professional in 2023, joined Liverpool from Portuguese side Sporting a year ago for a club record fee of just over £200, 000. She scored seven goals in 20 Women's Super League games in her debut season as Liverpool finished seventh. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Can see Chelsea being a real threat as it seems to be coming together as a project and winning against PSG will give confidence. Still Liverpool for me, though. Great signings so far, just need Isak! Ross Katie Stafford BBC Sport Journalist We got all excited in the office because we thought Fulham had made their first summer signing, but it's a false alarm. Academy graduate Josh King has signed a new four-year deal for the club. They remain the only club to have not made a signing in this transfer window. Apart from Liverpool, few other clubs in the market for a striker could afford Isak's reported £130m price tag. PSR concerns mean - unlike Liverpool - plenty of Premier League sides have very little room for manoeuvre when it comes to their finances. The Reds spent just £10m on Italy winger Federico Chiesa and £25m on Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in last year's summer window - putting them on a combined spend of £375m since 2023. Leading the way on spending in that period is Chelsea, with £866m spent assembling their squad, whilst Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs have all spent more than Liverpool. Before Florian Wirtz's arrival at Anfield, Darwin Nunez had been the club's record signing, joining from Benfica in June 2022 in a deal that could be worth up to £85m. A patient approach by his predecessor in previous transfer windows means that Arne Slot can target a striker to help improve his Premier League champions. It's hardly been a quiet summer in terms of incomings at Anfield so far. Liverpool have already signed midfielder Florian Wirtz in a potential British record £116m deal this summer and paid £40m and £30m respectively for full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. Although they have spent £171m, they are looking to sign a striker, with Ekitike and Isak firmly on their radar. Liverpool have also checked in on Brentford's Yoane Wissa and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins as they work through a range of options. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say I think Liverpool look most likely at the moment. However, you can never rule out Man City and Arsenal won't want to finish second (again! !). Chelsea could be outsiders, but after a long season, may begin to burn out by the turn of the year. James, Shrewsbury As it stands, Liverpool have the tools to win the title, but it depends how Jota's passing affects the side. Arsenal have to be the favourites for that reason, but could finish 3rd if they don't gel. Transfers can change everything. Nick L Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.