Forget Alexander Isak, Liverpool feel they have a talent capable of emulating both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland

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Liverpool put a lot of emphasis on underlying numbers when it comes to recruitment.

Those at Anfield have often found rough diamonds in the market using this method, such as Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah – who cost just £8m and £34m respectively back in the summer of 2017.

Will Spearman – Director of Research at Liverpool – now believes he has found a striker similar to Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe using this analytical approach in Hugo Ekitike.

Liverpool have seriously high hopes for Hugo Ekitike

Liverpool are trying to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle in a deal which could be worth £140m.

This saga has arguably overshadowed the £69m signing of Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt – but it remains a deal Liverpool think could materialise into a superb bit of business.

The Athletic claim analysts at Liverpool determined that only Haaland and Mbappe are similar to the France U21 international at a ‘comparable’ age – through the use of ‘historical tracking data’ to adjudge strikers.

Ekitike only scored 22 goals last season, a tally dwarfed by both the Norway international and the France international, who scored 34 and 44 goals respectively for Manchester City and Real Madrid.

However, The Athletic add that Liverpool expect the man born in Reims to increase his goal return over time, suggesting those at Anfield felt the chance to sign him for £69m this summer – before he explodes into a superstar – was too good to ignore.

Alexander Isak signing could actually be a blessing in disguise for Hugo Ekitike

Some may argue that Ekitike – who has impressed in training at Liverpool – would feel overshadowed by the arrival of Isak in a new British record transfer, but we beg to differ.

Typically, all eyes would be firmly on a £69m arrival at a club the size of Liverpool.

However, the pressure on Ekitike would be somewhat relieved if a proven Premier League goalscorer in Isak arrived, allowing the 23-year-old time to adjust to English football in the background.

In truth, the £116m arrival of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen should already put Ekitike at ease, aware he is not the one with the most to prove when it comes to the size of the price tag.