Alexander Isak will not be joining Liverpool or anyone else this summer as the Newcastle owners have ‘put the block on him leaving the club’.
Isak is a dream target for Liverpool and it’s been widely reported that he prefers a move to Anfield amid interest from Saudi Arabia after informing Newcastle of his intention to ‘explore’ an exit this summer.
Liverpool have already spent around £26om on signings this summer, with Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong the marquee additions.
But the Reds still have money to spend this summer having barely spent a dime a year ago, with Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa all linked with the exit to raise further funds, following the departures of Luis Diaz and Jarell Quansah, who have left for £60.5m and £30m respectively.
Liverpool are now biding their time before making their first official offer, with Fabrizio Romano revealing earlier this week that he reckons a deal is now 60 per cent on.
Romano told DAZN Football: “For Alexander Isak, in terms of percentage for Liverpool, it’s at 60 per cent. It’s quite optimistic, but there is still work to do, 40 per cent to go before we can say Isak is going to be a Liverpool player.
“But Liverpool have all the intentions to go strong for this deal. Liverpool already made contact with Newcastle two weeks ago.
“Liverpool are prepared to make a Premier League record-breaking bid for the 25-year-old, but are waiting for Newcastle to give the green light.”
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg claimed on Wednesday Liverpool have ‘reached a verbal agreement’ with Isak over a six-year contract which will see him paid a similar amount to Ekitike, who’s on £200,000 per week having moved from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer.
Plettenberg wrote on X: ‘Understand: Alexander #Isak has already reached a verbal agreement in principle with Liverpool over a contract running until 2031. Isak wants to make the move to #LFC as early as this transfer window. The clubs are in contact. His salary at Liverpool would be similar to that of Hugo Ekitike’s.’
But Romano later claimed that any Liverpool move required Newcastle to ‘open doors’ which have now been firmly shut in a huge Reds blow, according to GIVEMESPORT.
They claim Newcastle owners the Public Investment Fund (PIF) have ‘put the block on him leaving the club’.
The report confirms that the Saudi chiefs ‘do not need the cash and don’t need to satisfy PSR requirements’, meaning that after ‘top-level talks involving boss Eddie Howe, the hierarchy has simply told the striker that he won’t be going anywhere this summer’.
‘Now it remains for Howe to integrate the forward back into the ranks as quickly as he can ahead of a new season’, the report adds.