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BreakingNews.ie
17 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Liverpool will not be held to ransom in pursuit of Alexander Isak
Liverpool will not be held to ransom in their pursuit of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. The PA news agency understands the Premier League champions remain keen on the 25-year-old Sweden international, who was made to train by himself on Tyneside on Wednesday after missing the Magpies' pre-season trip to Singapore and South Korea amid speculation over his future. Advertisement However, as they await completion of Darwin Nunez's proposed €53 million – around £46.3million – plus bonuses move to Saudi club Al Hilal, sources on Merseyside indicated they would not enter a bidding war as they sought a replacement. Alexander Isak scored what proved to be Newcastle's winning goal against Liverpool in last season's Carabao Cup final (Owen Humphreys/PA) Liverpool's admiration of Isak, who scored what proved to be the winning goal against them in last season's Carabao Cup final at Wembley, is well known and they have already tabled a bid of around £110m, which was swiftly rejected. Newcastle have repeatedly insisted the Swede, for whom they paid Real Sociedad £63m during the summer of 2022, is simply not for sale and with three years remaining on his existing contract, they hold a strong position in one sense. However Isak, who signalled his intention to explore his options during the current transfer window, has so far resisted all overtures to sign a new, long-term deal at St James' Park and that appears to have encouraged the Anfield club that they may be able to prise him from head coach Eddie Howe's grasp. Advertisement That said, the Reds are understood to have drawn up a series of criteria which will govern their pursuit of the former AIK Solna and Borussia Dortmund forward, or indeed alternative targets. Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe (left) faces the task of trying to persuade Alexander Isak that his future remains on Tyneside (John Walton/PA) Among them are an insistence that any replacement must be of the required quality, must represent fair market value and perhaps most importantly, must be realistically attainable. In that context, Newcastle's asking price of £150m – which was designed to ward off potential suitors – would seem a significant obstacle, as would their long-held stance on his availability, although there is little doubt that he would meet the quality requirement having scored 27 goals in all competitions last season. In addition, the Magpies' interest in RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko looks unlikely to come to fruition with Manchester United confident they are in the driving seat, complicating the search for a credible replacement with Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson having being touted as an option. Advertisement Newcastle were already in the market for a striker following Callum Wilson's departure at the end of last season, but plugging the gap left by a man around whom Howe would ideally want to build his team, during a summer which has already proved intensely difficult, would be both difficult and expensive. Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is close to completing a move to Saudi club Al Hilal (Peter Byrne/PA) The alternative is to persuade Isak that his future remains at St James' at least in the short term – there is little doubt that his head has been turned – and that is a task which would take all his manager's estimable powers. It remains to be seen whether or not Liverpool will increase their offer for the player if and when the Nunez deal is finalised. They will bank a significant proportion of the 75m euros – around £65.4m – plus bonuses they paid Benfica for the 26-year-old Uruguay international in June 2022, having rebuffed advances from Saudi Arabia in January and Napoli, who are understood not to have met the club's valuation and to have wanted to pay the fee over five years, this summer. Advertisement


BreakingNews.ie
17 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Manchester United agree deal for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko
Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Benjamin Sesko after agreeing a deal worth up to £73.7million with RB Leipzig, the PA news agency understands. The talented 22-year-old striker has been the subject of a tug of a war as the Red Devils and Newcastle both attempted to bolster their attacks ahead of the new season. Advertisement Sesko indicated to United that he favoured a move to them over the Magpies and PA understands they have now agreed a deal with Leipzig worth €76.5m (£66.3m) plus a potential €8.5m (£7.4m) in add-ons. The Slovenia international has been granted permission to travel to Manchester to undergo a medical and complete the move. United have transformed Ruben Amorim's attack (Adam Davy/PA) Sesko scored 21 goals in all competitions last term and has long been on the Red Devils' radar, stretching back to his move from Domzale to RB Salzburg in 2019. Newcastle had made the first move this summer and reacted to seeing an initial bid rebuffed by making an improved approach worth a reported 82.5m euros (£71.9m) plus 2.5m euros (£2.2m) in add-ons. Advertisement Ruben Amorim's Red Devils were waiting in the wings and followed with a rival proposal of 75m euros (£65.4m), plus a potential 10m (£8.7m) in add-ons. The terms were subsequently tweaked, with United paying slightly more as an initial fee as part of the deal in principle struck with Leipzig. Sesko is United's third attacking addition, following the arrivals of Matheus Cunha (pictured) and Bryan Mbeumo (Nick Potts/PA) Sesko is set to become the fourth signing of the summer as United look to hit back from finishing 15th last season – their worst top-flight campaign in 51 years – and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham. Matheus Cunha joined from Wolves for £62.5m, while Bryan Mbeumo left Brentford for an initial £65m fee that could rise by a further £6m should certain add-on clauses related to team and player be achieved. Advertisement Teenage wing-back Diego Leon has also linked up with United after a deal was struck with Cerro Porteno in January.


Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Your chance to win thousands in cash as Daily Mail launches new Premier League game Predictor for 2025-26 season
Welcome to Predictor - Daily Mail's new game which asks you to predict the outcomes of seven Premier League matches each weekend for the chance to win thousands in cash. It's simple. All you need to do is predict the winner of each game, or opt for a draw, plus predict when the first goal will be scored in the tiebreaker game. If you're feeling lazy, you can even put your feet up and use the auto fill option! For each one you get right, you earn a point. You can change your predictions as much as you like until a minute before kick-off and win up to £1,000 in the weekly competition, and up to £5,000 in the season competition. And yes, we have leagues! You're able to create or join them, and they can either be public or private. Now is your chance to definitively prove you know more than your mates or even more than our experts. You'll also be entered into a global public leaderboard. This is where you hit the big time. If you rank top out of everyone for the week, you earn a cool £1,000. Rank top for the entire season and you'll be taking home £5,000. Play on the web or on our app, whatever you like. Fancy yourself as the Predictor Supremo? Dive right in at Over 18s only, excludes NI. Terms and conditions apply.