Liverpool UNLOCK move for Alexander Isak after striker bid confirmed
Liverpool's bid was believed to be in the region of £120m - with Isak now pushing hard for a move away. It's been claimed that TWO factors are holding up the potential record-breaking transfer.
Shop the LFC Store
🚨2025/26 LFC x adidas range🚨
LFC x adidas
Shop the home range today!
LFC x adidas
Shop the goalkeeper range today
LFC x adidas
Shop the new adidas range today!
One - Newcastle's valuation. Eddie Howe's side do not want to sell Alexander Isak - but these are far from ideal circumstances. He does not want a new contract and has asked to explore a transfer away from St. James' Park this summer.
The Sweden hitman is under contract until 2028 - meaning Newcastle are well within their rights to ask for a big fee. That price has been reported at £150m - although a deal could possibly be done around the £135m-mark.
Newcastle find a breakthrough
Liverpool's bid will have to rise from its current level at around £120m.
And secondly - Newcastle need strikers. Having lost Callum Wilson, the only other specialist in the position that Howe has got at his disposal is untested William Osula.
The Magpies have been chasing forwards throughout the transfer window but have been frustrated in their attempts to add to their strike line. But now a breakthrough is on the horizon - which in turn could unlock Liverpool's deal for Isak.
Newcastle bidding for Sesko
That's because several sources - including Newcastle insider Keith Downie - are reporting that a bid has been made for Benjamin Sesko.
The Slovenian, 22, is under contract at RB Leipzig but it's believed that he will be allowed to leave this summer should certain conditions be met.
Newcastle are competing with Manchester United for this transfer - but appear to have struck first.
Sesko in, Isak out?
'Newcastle have made a formal bid to RB Leipzig for Benjamin Sesko,' Downie writes on X.
'The bid is €75 + €5m — which matches Leipzig's valuation. (£65.5m + £4.3m) 'NUFC have presented their vision to the Slovenian striker and made it clear they want the deal to happen.
'Sesko is considering his situation with Manchester United also at the table. He is open to both projects.'
So now we play the waiting game.
Newcastle have been rejected this summer by the likes of Joao Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo and Hugo Ekitike - who joined Liverpool for an initial £69m.
Despite their Champions League status, Eddie Howe is finding it difficult to attract star names to the North East. Let's see what happens with Sesko - who is being lined up as the crucial domino in Liverpool's Isak deal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
West Ham and Wolves among clubs keen on Liverpool winger
West Ham United and Wolves are among the clubs interested in signing Liverpool winger Ben Doak. Doak spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough where he scored three times and provided seven assists in 21 Championship starts. He ranked fourth in the second tier for assists per 90 minutes and second for carries into the penalty area. Liverpool turned down bids in the region of £20m from Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town in the January transfer window, with Doak finishing the season with Middlesbrough. He has returned to Liverpool this summer, scoring in Monday's friendly with Athletic Club, and is again subject of interest from rival clubs. Journalist David Lynch has revealed that West Ham and Wolves are among the clubs considering the 19-year-old. Liverpool's stance on his future is unclear but it is expected significant offers will be considered for the teenager. Doak is also keen to secure regular first-team football to ensure his place in the Scotland squad. Liverpool are close to finalising the £15m sale of Tyler Morton to Lyon. That deal will see the Reds' revenue from sales this summer swell to more than £128m. Interest also remains in Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott. Read – See more – Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media: | | | |
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool FC News: Hugo Ekitike confirms GENIUS Arne Slot move
Liverpool's transfer decisions this summer have mostly been risk-free, despite their expense. Of course, no piece of recruitment business is every guaranteed to succeed and the season still hasn't started yet, but you can't help but feel encouraged watching the team in pre-season games. 🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas home range 🚨2025/26 LFC x adidas range🚨 LFC x adidas Shop the goalkeeper range today LFC x adidas Shop the new adidas range today! Jeremie Frimpong's move for £30m is considered a steal since he can cover a few different positions, the £45m spent on Milos Kerkez felt understandable after last season' extraordinary campaign and then you're left with Florian Wirtz's club-record fee - £100m plus £16m add-ons. The German will have to do a lot before his fee is justified, but considering he's already viewed as being 'world class' at 22 years old, the signs are promising that he can be generational for us. 🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas away range After that, the focus lands on Hugo Ekitike, who's move certainly a risk that Liverpool chose to take. Slot's genius move with Ekitike I say this a little tongue in cheek, knowing that I'm basing this opinion off a pre-season game and his £69m plus £10m fee was definitely an over-pay based on returns he's delivered at 23 years old. But the Frenchman was particularly impressive on Monday night against Athletic Club, starting the game as the team's striker, since Darwin Nunez played and excelled in the Reds' earlier game. The 45 minutes he played against Yokohama FM last week were particularly difficult to judge - it was his debut and the match was just a week after Ekitike joined the club. His appearance was more about getting used to what an Arne Slot team was like to play in, no one had any real expectations. But at Anfield, the vibe was a little different, with a maturing team playing with a great freedom about themselves, now the social bonds between the players had been given a chance to develop. And it showed in the performance - you were left thinking, 'this team's potential is absolutely massive'. One of the reasons behind such a feeling was the opening goal of the contest, created by Ekitike taking the ball down the left-hand side and driving a pass into Mohamed Salah's feet to finish off. Not only did that moment give the fans something clear to look back on when it comes to working out why Liverpool felt the need to spend up to £79m on him, but it showcased how multi-functional a player he can be, which is going to be essential if the links with Alexander Isak actually materialise. Ekitike was fielded as a striker and he had a couple of shots on goal that were threatening, but his ability to communicate with Cody Gakpo without any words needing to be exchanged, deciding to move into the space and set-up a scoring chance was incredible. It's everything you want to see. Across his 57-minute appearance, he delivered two key passes, an accurate long-ball, two big chances created and two duels won from five. It's a friendly after all, but in my view, he proved that left-wing is definitely a position that he could play, and with relative ease, alongside moving centrally. Isak's potential transfer might lead to Ekitike playing down the left-side a bit more, but he's going to be competing for his preferred position. It's only healthy that you aren't allowed to sit on your laurels. So the Frenchman's flexibility appears to have made his transfer a genius move. Other strikers wouldn't be a comfortable at left-wing as he is and by signing Ekitike rather than a Benjamin Sesko or a Viktor Gyokeres, the Reds now have options, since Luis Diaz has left to join Bayern Munich. Whether we see Isak join or not, the team will be fine. Ekitike was superb for Eintracht Frankfurt last season and I'm sure we'll see him flourish under Arne Slot, although I admit the Premier League is a very different animal to the Bundesliga; but the two could definitely play in the same front three.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool FC News: Hugo Ekitike confirms GENIUS Arne Slot move
Liverpool's transfer decisions this summer have mostly been risk-free, despite their expense. Of course, no piece of recruitment business is every guaranteed to succeed and the season still hasn't started yet, but you can't help but feel encouraged watching the team in pre-season games. 🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas home range 🚨2025/26 LFC x adidas range🚨 LFC x adidas Shop the goalkeeper range today LFC x adidas Shop the new adidas range today! Jeremie Frimpong's move for £30m is considered a steal since he can cover a few different positions, the £45m spent on Milos Kerkez felt understandable after last season' extraordinary campaign and then you're left with Florian Wirtz's club-record fee - £100m plus £16m add-ons. The German will have to do a lot before his fee is justified, but considering he's already viewed as being 'world class' at 22 years old, the signs are promising that he can be generational for us. 🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas away range After that, the focus lands on Hugo Ekitike, who's move certainly a risk that Liverpool chose to take. Slot's genius move with Ekitike I say this a little tongue in cheek, knowing that I'm basing this opinion off a pre-season game and his £69m plus £10m fee was definitely an over-pay based on returns he's delivered at 23 years old. But the Frenchman was particularly impressive on Monday night against Athletic Club, starting the game as the team's striker, since Darwin Nunez played and excelled in the Reds' earlier game. The 45 minutes he played against Yokohama FM last week were particularly difficult to judge - it was his debut and the match was just a week after Ekitike joined the club. His appearance was more about getting used to what an Arne Slot team was like to play in, no one had any real expectations. But at Anfield, the vibe was a little different, with a maturing team playing with a great freedom about themselves, now the social bonds between the players had been given a chance to develop. And it showed in the performance - you were left thinking, 'this team's potential is absolutely massive'. One of the reasons behind such a feeling was the opening goal of the contest, created by Ekitike taking the ball down the left-hand side and driving a pass into Mohamed Salah's feet to finish off. Not only did that moment give the fans something clear to look back on when it comes to working out why Liverpool felt the need to spend up to £79m on him, but it showcased how multi-functional a player he can be, which is going to be essential if the links with Alexander Isak actually materialise. Ekitike was fielded as a striker and he had a couple of shots on goal that were threatening, but his ability to communicate with Cody Gakpo without any words needing to be exchanged, deciding to move into the space and set-up a scoring chance was incredible. It's everything you want to see. Across his 57-minute appearance, he delivered two key passes, an accurate long-ball, two big chances created and two duels won from five. It's a friendly after all, but in my view, he proved that left-wing is definitely a position that he could play, and with relative ease, alongside moving centrally. Isak's potential transfer might lead to Ekitike playing down the left-side a bit more, but he's going to be competing for his preferred position. It's only healthy that you aren't allowed to sit on your laurels. So the Frenchman's flexibility appears to have made his transfer a genius move. Other strikers wouldn't be a comfortable at left-wing as he is and by signing Ekitike rather than a Benjamin Sesko or a Viktor Gyokeres, the Reds now have options, since Luis Diaz has left to join Bayern Munich. Whether we see Isak join or not, the team will be fine. Ekitike was superb for Eintracht Frankfurt last season and I'm sure we'll see him flourish under Arne Slot, although I admit the Premier League is a very different animal to the Bundesliga; but the two could definitely play in the same front three.
