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Ekitike in danger as Liverpool rival Arsenal for €100m striker
Cameron Smith
- 10 Apr 2026 14:01 BST
- 5 min read
News
Liverpool and Manchester City are reportedly ready to rival Arsenal in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane this summer.
The 19-year-old has emerged as a key target for Mikel Arteta ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, with the Gunners boss eager to bolster his attacking options amid rumours that Gabriel Jesus is likely to be sold.
Current ETV
Christian Kofane
F (C)
Bayer 04
Christian Kofane
F (C)
Bayer 04
ETV Range
€19.9M - €24.3M
Kofane has scored seven goals in 40 games since joining Leverkusen from Spanish second tier side Albacete in July and he impressed during the Bundesliga club’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League last-16.
Following his performances across both legs, the Cameroon international has been earmarked as potential summer signing by the Arsenal hierarchy alongside fellow strikers Julian Alvarez and Nicolo Tresoldi. However, they are set to face significant competition in their bid to sign.
That is because Liverpool and Man City have joined the race to sign Kofane ahead of the upcoming summer window, as per TEAMtalk. Both Premier League giants have reportedly made contact to signal their interest in the 19-year-old and they are ready to rival Arsenal for his signature.
Kofane would likely play second-fiddle to Erling Haaland if he joins Man City this summer, with the club yet to truly replace Julian Alvarez, while Liverpool’s interest is intriguing following the high-profile arrivals of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak last year.
The former enjoyed a scintillating start to life at Anfield, but his form has tailed off massively in 2026, while the latter has endured a difficult debut campaign due to injury. However, if Kofane arrives, it’s likely that Ekitike’s place in Liverpool’s squad would be at risk given the effort the Reds went to in their pursuit of Isak.
Arsenal lead race for Christian Kofane
Despite interest from Liverpool and Man City, Kofane’s agent, Eric Depolo, has revealed that Arsenal are currently the frontrunners to sign his client ahead of this summer.
Speaking to Daily Arsenal last month, Depolo admitted: “Arsenal’s interest is genuine. The manager likes him very much. There is contact between me and Arsenal. But their focus right now is to win the league - from there everything will start moving.
“He is a €100 million player. With Kofane, Arsenal will have a top striker for the next 10 years.”
When asked which other clubs are interested in signing the 19-year-old, Depolo said: “Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton, Brentford, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“I have never had as many calls in my life as now regarding Kofane. Right now, he is the best U21 striker in Europe and the most complete one. He has speed, technique, defends very well and is strong in the air. It is very difficult to find all these attributes in one striker.
“I think it is too early to say [who is leading the race to sign Kofane], but due to the fact that the player speaks Spanish, like Mikel Arteta, and that William Saliba is originally from Cameroon, I would say Arsenal are in pole position,” Depolo concluded.
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