'Let's see if we do something'

Arne Slot is still open to the idea of Liverpool recruiting "the right player" for the right money after the possibility of Newcastle being prepared to let Alexander Isak leave appeared to increase slightly on Thursday.

The Reds have already had one £110million bid for the Sweden striker rejected, but he remains determined to leave and is training alone at Newcastle.

The Magpies are reported to be close to signing Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, which may – perhaps with the addition of one more forward – make them more prepared to accept a reasonable offer for Isak. They are believed to want in the region of £150m for Isak.

Slot did not rule out the possibility of the Reds going back into the transfer market ahead of Monday's deadline when he addressed the media on Friday ahead of Sunday’s match against Arsenal.

"We try to sign players that can help us, but there’s no reason after the first two games to complain or to think we need more," he said.

"If we can strengthen the squad then we will always try to do that, if it’s for the right money and the right player, and there are only three or four days to go now.

"Let’s see if we do something, and if we do something, what we can do."

Slot added: "Newcastle signed, if it’s true and I have no reason not to believe what you are saying, a new number nine. So that’s very nice for (Newcastle head coach) Eddie (Howe), because Anthony Gordon is suspended and Isak has not been training with the team a lot, so it’s nice for him to have another number nine."

Slot said Liverpool did not have any new fitness concerns for the match against the Gunners despite a physical encounter against Newcastle on Monday, with Virgil van Dijk on the receiving end of a particularly reckless challenge from Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon which earned the England international a red card.

"The positive is that Conor Bradley only had one or two training sessions before the Newcastle game. He has trained this week, the whole week," Slot said.

"Mac Allister has started training again. I don’t think we had any injuries coming out of that game. And Virgil is OK, I guess that would be the main thing that you would question, but he is OK."

Slot is preparing for an early test of his side’s ability to retain their Premier League title against an Arsenal side who proved their closest challengers last season. The Gunners’ set-piece potency is certainly one thing Slot will be mindful of.

"What stands out in a negative way for us, is that we’ve conceded – if I include the Bilbao game – four set-pieces. And of course, as we all know, that’s one of (Arsenal’s) strengths, not the (only) strength, but one of their strengths, because they can play in multiple ways.

"You can see how well they are managed by Mikel (Arteta) and they have been working for five years together, because they can play almost every style there is in football. And that tells you how well managed they are.

"(Defending set-pieces) is a part we need to improve. We were really good at (it) last season, so there’s no panicking at all."

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