Mega update ready to trigger Alexander Isak to Liverpool
Liverpool have broken their transfer record this summer to bring Florian Wirtz to the club. They've paid an initial £100m to Bayer Leverkusen for Wirtz, with it potentially rising to £117m.
Shop the LFC Store
LFC Kits
Shop Now
LFC x New Era
Shop Now
LFC Signed Merch
Shop Now
LFC x Titleist
Shop Now
And now they want to do it again. Liverpool are eager to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United in what would certainly be a club-record transfer.
In all likelihood, it would break the British transfer record, too. Sacha Tavolieri tells Sky Sports that Liverpool think a deal could happen at £120m, which would break that record.
Newcastle, though, are understandably making things difficult. They don't want to lose Isak, who has been their standout player since arriving from Real Sociedad.
However, Isak wants to move to Liverpool, resulting in him being absent from their pre-season tour and their new kit launch.
Now a major sign that a deal will be done has jumped out. Liverpool are looking good here.
Benjamin Sesko to Newcastle United
The Telegraph reports that Newcastle are now favourites to land Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig. That means they're ahead of Manchester United in the race.
Now, the only way that could possibly happen is if Sesko had guarantees over playing time. Those guarantees would not be there, surely, if Isak were remaining at the club.
There was talk of Newcastle wanting to play 4-4-2 with Isak and Hugo Ekitike, of course, before the Frenchman joined Liverpool. But we're not sure a Sesko - Isak attack is one that makes any sense, given the players at the club.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Liverpool boss wants to sign Reds' POWERHOUSE midfielder
Liverpool need more departures We could see Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and Ben Doak move on before the window closes - while Harvey Elliott and Tyler Morton could also make way. Those sales would give Liverpool even more breathing space in the transfer market - as well as clearing significant room on the wage bill. One more player tipped for the exit is Stefan Bajcetic. The 20-year-old spent last season out on loan to Red Bull Salzburg under Pep Lijnders and at Las Palmas in LaLiga. Bajcetic in demand The midfielder, described as 'outstanding' by former Reds captain Jordan Henderson, has got admirers in LaLiga with Celta Vigo and Valencia in the mix to sign him. But a new contender has now emerged for the Spain under-21 international with Brendan Rodgers' Celtic coming forward with their interest. That's according to a new report in TEAMtalk, which claims a temporary deal plus an obligation to purchase is in the offing. © IMAGO - Stefan Bajcetic Liverpool Brendan Rodgers wants Bajcetic at Celtic 'Liverpool are open to letting the highly-rated 20-year-old Spanish midfielder leave in the summer transfer window, with a loan-to-buy deal being the likely structure,' the report reads. 'However, Bajcetic's high valuation could pose another challenge for Celtic, who are cautious about overextending their budget.' It's not clear how much Liverpool would command for Bajcetic. © IMAGO Bajcetic asking price He is under contract until 2027 and has not played much for the club over the last few seasons due to injuries and his loan spells. With Liverpool reportedly looking for more than €9m for Tyler Morton - who is under contract until 2026 - it could mean Bajcetic goes for slightly more than that. Whether Celtic have the funds to come up with a deal for Bajcetic remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the schemer is not on tour with the Reds in Asia and is expected to conclude a move away before the window closes.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Canadian investment giant swoops for British pensions in £2bn deal
Canadian investment giant Brookfield is poised to manage British savers' money after the company struck a deal to buy London-listed Just Group for £2.4bn. Toronto-based Brookfield will begin 'providing advice on Just's investment strategy, support for Just's investment risk and portfolio management, and related management services'. It will also kick off a review of Just Group's £27bn of assets, and 'may look to reposition such assets and/or transition management of such assets to Brookfield Asset Management.' FTSE 250 member Just Group sells annuities to pensioners, offers products including lifetime mortgages, and buys pension schemes from other providers. It manages assets totalling £27bn and has more than 700,000 customers. Brookfield's move comes as global investors bet that relatively high interest rates will encourage final salary pension schemes to sell up to companies like Just Group. Many companies would rather offload the liabilities associated with a final salary scheme to a specialist provider like Just Group. Brookfield hopes to take a bigger slice of so-called pension risk transfer market, with £40bn to £50bn of deals taking place each year. It comes weeks after the £5.7bn acquisition of Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) by European insurer Athora. Andreas Van Embden, analyst at Peel Hunt, said the 'consistent flow' of deals in the bulk purchase annuity market was attracting international attention. 'The pension industry's deficit has significantly narrowed and many funds have a surplus, so it is more attractive to do deals now - they are better priced and the market is more competitive,' he said. 'So transfer volumes will continue at more favourable pricing for trustees. And rising interest rates make individual annuities more attractive, because you get a higher income in later life.' Instead of seeking to grow organically, 'it makes much more sense to buy a specialist in the UK - Just Group - put capital behind it and try to grow the business,' he said. At the same time the Canadian parent may be able to invest the pension assets more profitably. 'Annuity companies are desperate to get access to alternative assets and high-yielding assets - Brookfield could help there,' said Mr Van Embden. Brookfield, which previously employed Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England and now prime minister of Canada, established a UK unit called Blumont earlier this year to compete in the market. It will merge the entity with Just Group. Sachin Shah, chief executive of Brookfield Wealth Solutions, said the deal would help the company grow on this side of the Atlantic. 'The acquisition of Just will accelerate our growth ambitions for the UK, a core region for us given its status as one of the world's pre-eminent pension markets combined with highly attractive investment opportunities,' he said. The £2.4bn purchase price represents a premium of 75pc to Just Group's share price before the deal was announced. Shares surged 67pc on confirmation of the deal. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
The Strange Feeling About Luis Diaz To Bayern Munich
Liverpool's position at the beginning of the summer transfer window was that Luis Diaz was not for sale. Despite the Colombian attacker making eyes at Barcelona, the Reds were adamant: he wasn't available. It wasn't too much of an issue, as these days, it's not hard to call the Catalans' bluff when it comes to transfers. There aren't the resources for big money moves at the Nou Camp; there once were, and the club soon walked away with its tail between its legs. Discussing the aborted move afterward, Barcelona president Joan Laporta claimed Diaz had been keen to depart. "It's true that I also liked Luis Díaz, a very complete player, but due to his circumstances, with a Liverpool very entrenched, it was complicated. Although I thank the player who wanted to come at all times," he said. Reports have since indicated that Diaz's desire to depart has existed for at least a year after he failed to negotiate a new contract at the level he wanted. We don't know what Liverpool's stance was, but it wouldn't be unreasonable if the Reds took the position that, while Diaz has performed well, he is nowhere near figures like Mohamed Salah or Virgil Van Dijk yet. As the summer dragged on, the forward was for sale at the right price. Bayern Munich paid $87 million this week. Tellingly, when Arne Slot was asked to respond to the Colombian international's departure, performances on the field were low on his list of things that would be missed. "First of all, for the person he was because he always had a smile on his face no matter what, in the year that I've worked with him. I played him a lot, so then maybe it's a little bit more normal to have a smile on your face," he said. "But even when I didn't play him, he always came out for every training session and gave it everything, with a smile on his face. "Apart from that, I'm going to miss his song a lot, a lot, a lot as well because it was maybe one of the best songs our fans have for a player. "And of course, all that he contributed to us winning the league. "But this is also who we are as a club. We are making big signings; we have done that over the past few years. But this club also needs to recoup funds to get these transfers that we already did over the line. 'It has been a summer where we've spent a lot, but I think if people look at all the money we've already brought in, that's also – like last year when we almost only sold players – a good thing for this club as well.' Writing on Instagram after completing the move, Diaz was a little more effusive about achievements on the field. "I arrived with all the dreams in the world, and I am leaving proud of everything we achieved together," Diaz posted. "I have met incredible people, fabulous colleagues, coaches who helped me a lot, and extraordinary fans. Liverpool is, indeed, a special team, and I will keep everyone in my heart. 'It's good to be leaving with the feeling of a duty fulfilled, and, most of all, to be leaving a champion.' BBC journalist Tom McCoy also suggested Diaz was unlikely to be too badly missed at Anfield, given the talent the club has hired this year. "When [Diaz was] used centrally last term, his high-energy pressing helped set the tempo for the Reds," he wrote. "But next season that role could be filled by club record signing Florian Wirtz, who - for all his attacking flair - works like a demon off the ball. "The 22-year-old German won possession in the final third 71 times in the past two Bundesliga seasons, 15 more than any other player. "In terms of filling the void Diaz leaves on the left flank, Cody Gakpo appears the obvious beneficiary. 'The Dutchman scored 18 times last season, though he isn't quite as effective at dribbling through congested spaces.' His move to Bayern feels strange and underwhelming, not least because it serves as a marriage of convenience for many parties involved. Liverpool needs to recoup funds after a summer of unprecedented spending. Diaz wanted to leave to get his last big contract, and Bayern needed a star after a summer of catastrophic transfer failures. The last of those is what makes this such a hollow arrangement. It's hard to know just how low Diaz was on Bayern's list of targets. But there were failed moves for Florian Wirtz, Rafael Leao, Bradley Barcola and Nico Williams before this deal was done. It's put Bayern director Max Eberl on the backfoot and led to suggestions he rushed into the deal to buy Diaz, who, at 28, has little room for improvement and almost no resale value. ESPN even labelled the move a "big gamble" and suggested it would entail a substantial financial commitment from Bayern. "Eberl takes a considerable risk by signing Díaz because of the size of the financial commitment," the media outlet wrote. "Díaz is expected to earn €14 million before taxes, a source told ESPN, a 66% increase from his salary at Liverpool. "The Bavarian club actually wanted to lower their payroll this summer, given that they have a number of players with annual salaries in the eight digits, but Díaz's contract continues the trend. "Eberl has faced criticism for his negotiating and squad-building skills, and once again, it looks as though he has struck an average deal at best. 'Díaz will be 32 when his four-year contract expires, making it unlikely that he will have much value should he need to be moved.' He joins having registered the best scoring season of his career, although he was significantly behind Mohamed Salah's and Dominik Szoboszlai's influence. Bayern hopes to level up in Bavaria, but that is not guaranteed.
