Liverpool's former scouting director reveals Jurgen Klopp's huge Alexander Isak mistake that could cost reds £100MILLION
The Newcastle striker is one of the most in-demand stars of this summer's transfer window.
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Isak, 25, is wanted by the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool after firing the Magpies back into the Champions League.
Newcastle want to keep hold of the prolific Swede and want him to sign a new deal.
Any deal that would lure him away from St James' Park is likely to cost more than £150m.
Liverpool could have signed Isak back in 2022 from Real Sociedad for just £63m but decided to pursue a move for Darwin Nunez instead.
The Uruguayan cost the Reds a then-club record £85million from Benfica while Isak joined Newcastle.
Liverpool's former data expert Ian Graham has revealed how Klopp opted for Nunez over the cheaper Isak deal.
He told the Financial Time s: "Jurgen created a lot of success for the club, so it's understandable why it moved in that direction (from data-driven decisions to managerial preference).
"I'm happy to talk about my colleagues persuading Jurgen (in 2017) that Mohamed Salah was the player to buy instead of Julian Brandt.
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"In 2022, he signed Darwin Nunez (for £64m plus add-ons) instead of Alexander Isak.
"Both players, if you look at top young centre-forwards in Europe, they would be number one and two — or two and three but (Erling) Haaland was going to (Manchester) City and out of our price range.
Viktor Gyokeres to Liverpool LATEST as Reds sweat on Alexander Isak | Transfers Exposed
"Jurgen preferred Nunez. It would be very churlish of me to say, 'It's terrible that Jurgen had his choice', when in the past Jurgen had been persuaded by me and my colleagues of a different choice.
"And it was still the case that we signed good players — in Nunez's case, one of the best young strikers in Europe."
Nunez is expected to leave Anfield this summer but the club will hope to sell him for £60m, according to DiMarzio.
But the interested party Napoli are keen to drive his price down in order to push a deal through.
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