Reds 'want to act quickly' as they 'prepare' £101m 'offer' for Premier League star

Liverpool are lining up a bid for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak with Sweden international in talks over a new deal, according to reports.

The Reds have flown out of the blocks in the summer transfer window with Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes getting ahead of the competition this summer.

Liverpool had known for a long time that they would be finishing in the top five of the Premier League and definitely qualifying for the riches of the Champions League, giving them extra time to lay the groundwork for top deals.

And it seems to have paid off with Jeremie Frimpong already completing a move to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen for £29.5m, as the Reds’ replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has joined La Liga side Real Madrid.

Frimpong’s former Leverkusen team-mate, Florian Wirtz, is the Reds’ marquee target for the summer with Liverpool still in negotiations over a fee after being knocked back twice.

But Wirtz is expected to sign, along with Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez with the Hungary international agreeing personal terms already as Liverpool close in on a deal over a transfer fee.

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The Reds’ ‘next big target’ was understood to be Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike but Chelsea are currently ahead of them in that particular race.

And Liverpool could now go in for Newcastle striker Isak with Spanish website Fichajes claiming that the Reds have ‘been closely monitoring Newcastle’s talks with the player regarding a possible contract renewal.’

The Liverpool board ‘want to act quickly if they see that these negotiations don’t come to fruition’ and they are ‘ready to make a significant offer’ of €120m (£101m) if talks don’t go to plan.

It is understood that ‘€100 million would be fixed, and the remaining €20 million would come in variable amounts, depending on the player’s performance and the goals he achieves.’

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The 25-year-old is ‘at an ideal moment to take another step in his career, and the Merseyside club could be the perfect destination for him to continue developing’.

Newcastle is attempting ‘to convince him to stay in the north of England, Liverpool remains alert, with their check ready’.

Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn can’t see any reason why Isak would leave Newcastle this summer after they qualified for the Champions League.

Winterburn said in May: “My initial thought is that there isn’t really any reason for Alexander Isak to leave Newcastle at the moment – it might come down to whether they need the money for Financial Fair Play reasons.

“It looks as though they’ll be in the Champions League next season and they’ve just won the League Cup, their first trophy in 56 years – why would you want to leave?

“Newcastle have a huge fanbase and they’re so passionate, it’s such a great club. They’re on an upward trajectory and next season is a chance for Isak to showcase himself, and the rest of the team, in the Champions League again.

“The only question you might then ask is, ‘do I believe Newcastle can win the Premier League in the next few seasons?’ The answer to that, for me, is, ‘no I don’t’.

“If one of the biggest clubs in the world came calling and he desperately wanted to leave then he might be able to make a move happen, but we’re not hearing anything to suggest he wants out.”

He added: “I don’t think I can see Isak leaving Newcastle this summer. As long as they have Champions League football next season, which looks likely to be the case, then I think he’ll stay.

“Players and agents can be funny, though. They’ll tell you that when the opportunity comes to make a big move, it doesn’t happen very often. It really depends on who comes calling for him.

“The club can always deter interest by asking for a massive fee, because as good as Isak is, I’m not sure many teams have £150 million to spend on one player in this current climate. We’ll have to wait and see, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in a Newcastle shirt next season.”

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