Alexander Isak best available striker as Liverpool consider second bid for Newcastle rebel

Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres and Hugo Ekitike have joined Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, respectively, meaning they are no longer headlining this ranking of the 10 best available strikers.

Despite signing Ekitike, Liverpool are still in for Newcastle United rebel Alexander Isak, who has crashed into this ranking to take top spot.

We also have the best available attacking midfielders, centre-backs, wingers, and defensive midfielders.

10) Lois Openda (RB Leipzig)
Leipzig have already lost Benjamin Sesko, but they are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Openda, who has scored 33 goals in 67 Bundesliga matches.

Sunderland have, ambitiously, been linked with the Belgian, while Aston Villa chose Evann Guessand over him.

9) Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)
Jackson divides opinion, but his Premier League record is far from terrible. In fact, it’s pretty good. A brace against West Ham last September put him on 17 non-penalty league goals for Chelsea, which was more than Mohamed Salah managed for Liverpool (16) since the African striker’s move from Villarreal a year earlier. He scored 14 and assisted five in 35 in 2023/24 and then recorded as many assists and 10 goals in 30 last term.

Yes, Jackson is a big-chances-missed extraordinaire, but those numbers can’t be sniffed at. Clubs fighting for European football shouldn’t turn their nose at him, and the 24-year-old would also be a solid option for any foreign clubs that sell a striker on this list, including Leipzig.

8) Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain)
After a successful six-month loan at Juventus, Kolo Muani is likely to join the Italian giants permanently, or sign on loan for the entirety of 2025/26. Nothing is guaranteed though, and we could see the Frenchman move to the Premier League this summer.

Newcastle are apparently in the picture. Aston Villa shouldn’t be ruled out either. But yes, a return to Turin feels inevitable.

The Parisiens paid a whopping £80m for the 26-year-old in 2023 but he’s only managed 11 goals in 57 matches for them. He’s been a colossal flop but there’s still hope for Kolo Muani.

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7) Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al Hilal)
Mitrovic has been sitting around, watching his current employers aggressively pursuing striker after striker all summer. They eventually landed Darwin Nunez, which removes his name from this ranking and allows Mitrovic to crash in.

A return to the Premier League has been mooted and there are plenty of teams that could be a lot worse. He’s scored 68 in 79 for the Saudi club, which does beg the question: Why did they want a new striker so badly? Ah well, their loss is another team’s gain. If Leeds United could pull this off, it would be an incredible coup.

6) Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)
Dusan Vlahovic turned down Arsenal for Juventus in 2022, and it’s hard to fault him – it looked like the right call at the time. But hindsight is cruel and Arsenal are going a lot better than the Old Lady.

Things haven’t quite clicked for the Serbian in Turin. A goal every three games is fine, but not what you expect from a £70m signing. Juventus are reportedly open to selling, though swap deals seem to be their go-to route.

It’s tough to pin down his next move. He’s good enough to start for a big club, but not quite good enough to justify a bidding war. Vlahovic’s future might be the most unpredictable on this list.

5) Yoane Wissa (Brentford)
There are two significant numbers when it comes to Wissa: 29 and 19. The first is how old he turns on September 3, which might put off some clubs, and the other is his 2024/25 Premier League goal tally, which should be enough to put any age reservations to bed.

Brentford don’t want to lose Wissa after selling Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United, and are in a strong financial situation after earning £65m for the Cameroonian a year after getting £27m for David Raya and £40m for Ivan Toney.

Having broken a promise to the striker, the Bees are actively scouring the market for a replacement, so Wissa can get his move to Newcastle for around £30m.

4) Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea)
During his time at Leipzig, Nkunku tore up the Bundesliga, recording a ridiculous 90 goal contributions in 119 league games.

The Frenchman has been unable to replicate that form at Chelsea, with an early injury making it difficult to break into Mauricio Pochettino’s team, which then contributed to a lack of Premier League minutes under Enzo Maresca.

Despite his underwhelming Blues stint, Nkunku is an incredible market opportunity. Newcastle have been linked, though their current focus is the aforementioned Wissa. A return to Germany seems the most likely move, with Leipzig keen on a reunion.

Like Wissa, Nkunku can play anywhere in attack, but unlike Wissa, he is also capable of operating in an attacking midfield role. If he’s available for under £35m, there should be a long queue of potential suitors. We have to assume he isn’t available for under £35m, because there are hardly any suitors.

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3) Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen)
Victor Boniface is the forgotten striker of the 2025 summer transfer window. He’s the third-best available one out there, yet there is nothing to suggest he could leave Leverkusen this summer.

Boniface was reportedly close to joining Al Nassr in January but they went for Jhon Duran instead, so there is clearly an openness on Leverkusen’s side to sell, while the player is happy to take on a new challenge.

The Nigerian’s stock was at its peak during Leverkusen’s unbeaten Bundesliga run in 2023/24, but he’s still a hugely viable option for big European sides. He shouldn’t be vanishing into the Saudi wilderness just yet, regardless of how many zeroes are on the cheque.

2) Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
There was an offer from Arsenal in January that was incredibly ill-timed as Aston Villa had just agreed to sell Duran, but both club and player would likely be interested if the Gunners returned again.

The problem? Watkins is now 29, which is a similar mark against his name as Brentford’s Wissa. That’s why Manchester United picked Benjamin Sesko.

But he does guarantee Premier League goals, delivering double figures in each of his last five seasons. If he’s patient, he might be the beneficiary of late panic. Hello, Newcastle.

1) Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)
This is getting awfully messy. Isak reportedly informed Newcastle of his decision to leave last month, amid interest from Liverpool. Since then, the Reds have failed with a £110m bid, the Magpies have failed to sign their number-one target to replace him, Benjamin Sesko, Isak hasn’t featured in pre-season, is training alone, has moved out of his house, and most importantly, was not allowed any hotdogs.

Liverpool have already spent over £100m on Florian Wirtz, £70m combined on full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, and an initial £69m on Ekitike, but they still want Isak. After selling Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz for over £100m, we should expect a second bid. £150m should do it.

Isak is one of the best strikers in world football, and his transfer stance has shocked many and rightly upset Newcastle fans, who are now dreading the loss of their talisman. The Swedish international has scored 54 goals in 86 Premier League appearances for the Magpies.

READ MORE: Isak would only be ‘fraud’, ‘mercenary’ and ‘unprofessional’ if he went on strike to leave Liverpool