For Hugo Ekitike, the decision was easy. From the moment he talked to Liverpool head coach Arne Slot about the plan for next season, the young French striker was completely convinced by moving to Anfield.
Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done behind the scenes. Eintracht Frankfurt - the club that Ekitike officially joined with a €17.5 million contract from Paris St-Germain last summer - are the negotiators and will only accept the departure of their star striker with a significant offer.
Liverpool did just that. They agreed to pay Frankfurt an initial fee of £69 million, plus a performance-based fee of £10 million to get Ekitike's signature.
This is a big step forward for the 23-year-old and another statement about the Premier League champions' ambitions. The Reds have signed Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez, along with Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz this summer.
Despite such big spending, recruiting a new centre-forward is always Liverpool's top priority. Darwin Nunez - who joined Benfica for an initial fee of £64 million in 2022 - is likely to leave this summer after failing to fully exploit his potential in three seasons at Merseyside.
Meanwhile, Federico Chiesa seems to be preparing to leave after being left out of the Liverpool squad for his pre-season tour in Asia.
Luis Diaz - who was regularly deployed by Slot as a striker last season - is also facing an uncertain future as he receives attention from Bayern Munich. However, The Kop rejected the £58.6m offer from the "Gray Tigers" last week.
Of course, the volatility around Liverpool's attack comes as Diogo Jota passed away in a car accident earlier this month.
Last week, Liverpool stepped up their chase of a No. 9 player when they asked about Newcastle United's ability to sign striker Alexander Isak. The 25-year-old Swedish player has long been considered the club's dream striker target. However, Newcastle have so far maintained the stance that he is not for sale.
At just 23, Ekitike lacks Isak's sophistication, but Liverpool's board believe he has the qualities to be one of the best strikers in Europe.
