Liverpool close to signing one of the most influential attackers in the world

This is shaping up to be a fascinating summer transfer window for Liverpool.

We all know a striker is one position Richard Hughes has been looking to reinforce this summer. Even though Arne Slot's side became Premier League champions last season, they had done so with some obvious flaws in the squad.

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One of them was the lack of firepower in the no.9 position. Darwin Nunez has been the Reds' no.1 choice for several years now. However, things have never really hit the ground running for him at Anfield.

Nunez and Liverpool both seem open to parting ways with each other this summer. But even if Nunez does not leave, Liverpool still have financial wiggle room to bring in an attacker and they are working their hardest at being able to do that.

The absolute dream target for the Reds has been Alexander Isak for a very long time. Although that deal does not look like it's going to happen.

There is another deal however Liverpool are looking to close and have already struck an agreement with the player at least to get it over the line.

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It's not really an alternative to Isak but rather in addition to Liverpool have accelerated their attempts to sign Frenchman Hugo Ekitike who is one of the most influential attackers in the world according to a recent study.

Ekitike has already agreed a six-year contract with Liverpool as per a recent report. The Reds remain in active conversations to get a deal over the line for the Frenchman.

It very much looks like Liverpool are closing in on his signature and while some fans have been disappointed by this news, they should be excited.

Ekitike is one of the best young forwards in the game and don't just take our word for it, look at the data.

CIES Football Database has recently done a study looking at the most influential strikers in world football creating an index score based on six criteria.

Unsurprisingly, Mohamed Salah scored the highest on this index score based on six areas of the game. They were as follows: aerial play, ground defence, distribution, take on, chance creation and finishing.

In all of these metrics, Hugo Ekitike ranked really highly. Among strikers, he finished fifth overall, behind Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

Ekitike's total rank was 86.8, which was actually higher than Isak's (85.2), and also above the likes of Erling Haaland (82.5) and Julian Alvarez (86.7).

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The data clearly shows why Liverpool have gone all out to sign Ekitike. He makes an impact on the pitch and he leads by example. Getting a player of his ilk is a really exciting signing for Liverpool.

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