Liverpool standout Mohamed Salah has been tipped to ‘block’ the Premier League giants from signing Newcastle United star Alexander Isak.
Salah and Isak have been two of the best players in the Premier League this season as they feature in our team of the 2024/25 campaign so far.
Salah is one of the most valuable players who could become a free agent in 2025 but he is expected to commit his future to Liverpool beyond this season.
Isak is attracting interest from clubs across Europe ahead of the summer and Liverpool are among the clubs interested. A recent report from David Ornstein revealed they will make a ‘move’ for the prolific goalscorer on one condition.
Despite this, former Premier League forward Stan Collymore has picked out “two reasons” why Liverpool will not pay £150m for Isak.
“I think any top club would want Alexander Isak. It’s nice to see a striker that has a range of skills. There were doubts about him when he signed for Newcastle United, especially about whether he could deal with the physical side of the game, but he has,” Collymore told Caught Offside.
“He’s had injuries, and for me, this could be a concern for anyone that would want to pay £150m. Taking this into account, a team like Liverpool may look to offer £75m plus Darwin Nunez and a couple of other players.
“For me, no one will spend £150m on him, for two reasons. Right now, he is not worth that but he hasn’t been consistent enough for 4-5 seasons, rather than the last couple.
“Secondly, if Newcastle accept an offer that includes players going in the other direction, it needs to be players that fit into what they want. Liverpool are in a good position in this regard as they have players that are capable of adding to Newcastle’s squad.”
Collymore has also explained why Salah could ‘block’ Liverpool’s move for Isak.
“Isak would be a sensational fit for Liverpool, as they do not have a proper clinical striker. However, there is an argument that he would not fit in as well as other places because he would not be the main man in terms of goalscoring – that would still be Mo Salah,” Collymore added.
“He could easily suffer if he moved to Anfield because of this. In a football team, there is typically one dominant goalscorer, and a couple of others weigh in too, but Isak would not want to be the latter.
“I don’t think you get two players that can score 30-35 goals a season if Isak and Salah are paired together. Football does not work like that, and if Isak sees himself as playing second fiddle, he could have doubts.
“Regardless, I think he stays at Newcastle for at least one more season if they qualify for the Champions League come May, especially as he is already loved there, and he has played around him that get the best out of him.”