Liverpool make Isak approach: What happens now?

Liverpool's interest in Alexander Isak is tied up in Newcastle's pursuit of Hugo Ekitike and a resolution should not be long in coming.

Photo: IMAGO | Anfield Index

So now we know why Liverpool have been so reluctant to take the easy option of shooting down suggestions that they might try to sign Alexander Isak this summer.

It is because, as was widely thought to be the case, they have always been keen to do a deal for the Swede if the possibility presented itself.

And so today’s informal approach to Newcastle United - albeit one thus far denied by the Tyneside club - looks very much like an attempt to find out once and for all whether a move is indeed feasible.

Liverpool are taking a cautious tack as ever, insisting they are simply establishing the price and availability of one of many potential targets.

And it is easy to see why they might be reluctant to openly admit their interest given Newcastle have regularly insisted through briefs that they do not want to sell Isak this summer.

However, there has also been a sense of the Magpies’ stance softening as the weeks have gone on, with recent talk of ‘fearing a bid’ representing a departure from their original hardline stance.

What’s more, the fact that Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes are close friends means the latter is not heading into this situation completely blind.

That said, perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this approach is the timing, given it effectively confirms the Reds’ plans in the event Isak can’t be snagged.

Clearly, their interest in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike goes beyond simply having watched the Frenchman in recent months.