Liverpool are edging closer towards lodging an enormous bid to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United.
The Reds made it clear to Newcastle that they are ready to pay huge money to sign Isak should the opportunity become available this summer.
And after Isak informed Newcastle that he wants to leave on Thursday, the door has opened for Liverpool to make their play.
On Friday, reports surfaced that Isak’s teammates believe the striker is going to join Liverpool, as long as the Reds stump up around £150m.
As of yet, there has been no indication of whether Liverpool are indeed willing to hit that incredible figure.
However, having broken the news of Isak‘s willingness to leave Newcastle, journalist Craig Hope has given an update on how likely the Swede’s exit currently is.
Alexander Isak will ‘probably’ join Liverpool
Based at Newcastle’s pre-season tour in Singapore – which Isak has not travelled to be part of – Hope gave a thorough update on his YouTube channel late on Friday morning.
“My information is that Liverpool are readying a British club record offer,” said the reporter. “Alexander Isak and his people know this, he’s at home on Tyneside nursing his thigh, but you guys read between the lines.”
“These are some of the conversations I’ve had this morning with people close to the situation,” Hope continues. “There is always a good time to sell a player and while the preference is to keep Alexander Isak, but Isak himself wants to move on, he doesn’t want to play in the UCL, he wants to win it.”
The journalist goes on to confirm that Liverpool will need at least £150m to do this deal, and that, in his opinion based on all the information he has garnered, this will eventually happen.
READ MORE: What Luis Diaz’s attitude has been like on tour with Liverpool as he pushes for Bayern Munich move
“If Liverpool are going to do a deal this summer, they’re going to have to pay the money,” he says. “They really are. There’s no, just because Isak wants to go, cheap deal to be done here. They’ve got to come up with that British record and then some. It’s got to be in the region of £150m. If that happens, do I think we’d see a deal and Isak will move? Yes, I do. And I know that some of his teammates suspect that too.
“I’m not going to sit on the fence here and I’m happy to be wrong, but do I think he will go? Yes, I think he probably will. A lot still needs to happen for that to be the case, but my latest information is that: Alexander Isak wants to go, Liverpool want him, they are readying a British record offer, even though that may involve selling one of Diaz or Nunez. If that’s the case, Newcastle have a decision to make.
“They’d rather not sell and find a way to keep the player, but it might just make sense all round to do the deal. So, that’s where we are.”
Liverpool receive Luis Diaz offer
As Hope says, part of the process of Liverpool being able to offer Newcastle such an incredible sum for Isak is them selling either – or maybe even both – of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.
As things stand, Diaz appears the closer of the two players to the exit. The Colombian has been heavily linked with Bayern Munich, who have reportedly been preparing an offer for him over recent days.
And as per German journalist Florian Plettenberg, that offer arrived on Friday morning.
“FC Bayern have submitted their new offer to Liverpool for Luis Diaz worth more than €67.5 million [£60m],” says Plettenberg.
“Talks between the clubs are ongoing. As reported, Diaz wants to join Bayern and is waiting for an agreement between the clubs. He can sign a contract running at least until 2029. The deal could still fall through.“
It remains to be seen whether the offer is attractive to Liverpool, who have likely been holding out for more to sell Diaz. But with the clock starting to tick on Isak, perhaps they’ll see fit to cut their losses and move things along.
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