Liverpool will need to meet Hugo Ekitike's £85million release clause if they want to strike a deal. But Frankfurt chief sporting director Markus Krosche has already admitted that the club would be willing to sell their top stars if they outgrew their environment in Germany. The Frenchman has become the team's leading light, scoring more than 20 times last term as they qualified for the Champions League . However that has led to mounting interest in Ekitike, who is now on the radars of Liverpool and Newcastle . The Magpies have already seen a £70million bid for the 23-year-old turned down by Frankfurt, who now have to deal with Liverpool's interest. They want his release clause met before they sanction Ekitike's departure - with the player favouring a switch to Anfield. It would be the second major name they've lost in a little over six months after Omar Marmoush, who was hugely effective in the final third, moved to Manchester City in January for £59m. Ekitike flourished and became the team's main man in attack after his exit. The Reds approached Frankfurt on Wednesday to register their interest, with reports an opening bid was rejected the day after. Krosche has confessed that the club are open to letting their top players seek pastures new. He told Sport1: "He's one of the most interesting strikers on the European market. Hugo has to decide that. I'm glad we have him. If he decides otherwise, that's our motto: If a player develops faster than us, we let him go." Liverpool are looking to further bolster their attacking options with Darwin Nunez expected to leave the club. They have also been over reliant on Mohamed Salah at times and want to help ease his burden with Ekitike among those on their radar. Newcastle are also keen. They have Alexander Isak spearheading their attack, although the Swede is also on Liverpool's shortlist. The Magpies though want Ekitike to compliment Isak in their forward line and believe the duo could play effectively together. The French forward has admitted he would like the chance to share the pitch with Marmoush again, which would involve him moving to England. He said last season: "I think he did everything he needed to do here. I'm happy to see him playing in England now. I try to watch his games whenever I can, especially when he’s playing. I think we shared some great moments together, and I hope we can play together again or face each other soon." Liverpool have already spent north of £200m this summer, which included them breaking the British-transfer record to land Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. They've also signed Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.