Liverpool ‘have new £165m plan’ to sign Alexander Isak as ‘perfect’ salary agreed
Liverpool have come up with a ‘new £165m plan’ to sign Alexander Isak this summer as the ‘perfect’ salary for the striker has already been agreed in a five-year contract.
Isak revealed his bombshell desire to leave Newcastle on Thursday after the Magpies claimed he didn’t board the plane with his teammates to Singapore due to a thigh injury.
The Sweden striker is said to have been ‘furious’ with sporting director Paul Mitchell last summer when he broke a promise made by his predecessor Amanda Staveley that he would be offered an improved deal.
This exit plea has therefore been in the post, and amid talk of ‘crazy’ contract offers from Saudi Arabia, the 25-year-old looks destined for Liverpool.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claimed on Monday that an official bid for Isak from Liverpool is “considered a matter of time”.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “The official bid is considered a matter of time, so I expect Liverpool to go very big for this one.
“Then, as I keep repeating, guys, it’s going to be on Newcastle now to decide whether they want to give the green light, sell the player, accept the situation.
“Eddie Howe today said: no chance for the player to be with us next week, here on tour.
“No chance, because Alexander Isak has been clear, he wants to go. He is very convinced about that. He wants to explore this move away. And the move is to Liverpool.
“No Chelsea, no Man United, no Arsenal, no Al-Hilal, no Saudi, they are telling you many clubs in Saudi, forget. Alexander Isak wants to go to Liverpool.”
Sky Sport Switzerland now claim that the Reds ‘will begin official discussions with Newcastle in the coming hours’, with a ‘written offer’ expected shortly.
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It’s thought that opening big will be close to £100m, and although Newcastle are said to be demanding £150m, the Liverpool bosses ‘think they can close the operation at around £120m, plus performance-related bonuses’.
They add that Isak has given the ‘green light regarding personal conditions’, with a ‘five-year contract put together as it should be, which corresponds perfectly with his salary expectations’.
And The Standard claim Liverpool have devised a ‘new £165m plan’ to raise the funds for Isak.
The Reds have already agreed to the sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65.5m and ‘believe they can raise a further £100m by selling three unwanted players’ – Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa.
Addressing the Isak situation at the weekend, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: “I wouldn’t put a timescale on it. I think with these situations it has to be right for the football club, and everything then is taken into context below that.
“But the club will make the right decision with all the information that it has, and ultimately to try and move the club forward in whatever way that is. Then it’s up to us to make good decisions the other way and try and improve the squad as best we can. That’s what we’re trying to do, regardless of Alex’s situation.
“But I think there’s a wider picture here. There’s a whole football club that has to make the decision. The ownership, together with the board of directors, especially with the money involved in modern day transfers. The manager of course has an opinion, but ultimately the decision will rest with the board.”
