Marcus Rashford 'floated' as shock Liverpool option as 6 Alexander Isak alternatives considered
Newcastle has been told that Liverpool is prepared to pay a record fee to sign Isak this summer, meaning it would exceed the $155 million package Bayer Leverkusen received for Florian Wirtz. Newcastle has stood firm and told Liverpool that Isak is not for sale.
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Talks remain ongoing, but Newcastle also saw a $93 million bid for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike rejected on Tuesday. Liverpool could now enter the race for Ekitike, and according to Mail Sport, five other options have been considered, including Marcus Rashford.
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Alexander Isak approach made, Luis Diaz bid rejected, Vini Jr move
READ MORE: Liverpool sets Ibrahima Konate 'asking price' in bid to avoid Trent Alexander-Arnold repeat
Isak remains Liverpool's priority, and Newcastle has been placed in a unique position due to Tuesday's approach. Liverpool has signaled that if the door remains closed for Isak, it will look to hijack Newcastle's pursuit of Ekitike.
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Newcastle's rejected bid adds to the drama, and Ekitike could choose the Liverpool project if the club submits a rival offer. However, Liverpool also has five other names on a shortlist, though deals aren't expected to be pursued with the same intent.
According to Mail Sport, Liverpool has asked about Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins and Brentford forward Yoanna Wissa. The biggest wildcard that Liverpool floated was a deal for Manchester United winger Rashford, but only an initial conversation was held.
No player has ever transferred directly between Liverpool and Manchester United -Credit:Getty Images
Outside of the Premier League, Liverpool has also been closely watching Real Madrid forward Rodrygo. The most intriguing alternative is Napoli's Victor Osimhen, with the Nigerian striker looking to force a move away from the club.
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Turkish club Galatasaray is the front-runner to sign Osimhen, but Napoli has been targeting Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez as his replacement. It's thought Napoli cannot submit a formal offer until Osimhen has been sold, but a swap deal could be exercised.
Liverpool hasn't confirmed that Nunez will be leaving the club this summer, but he is linked with a move away. Nunez, Luis Diaz, Harvey Elliott, and Tyler Morton are all players who could depart Anfield by Aug. 30.
Even if Liverpool fails to add a center forward in this window, it's still been an excellent summer for the Premier League champions. Liverpool has signed two full-backs and broken the club transfer record to acquire Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz.
Florian Writz and Jeremie Frimpong were both signed from Bayer Leverkusen -Credit:Getty Images
Marquee outgoings include Jarell Quansah to Leverkusen, Nat Phillips to West Bromwich Albion, and Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid. Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has also been sold to Brentford, with Giorgi Mamardashvili replacing him as Alisson Becker's replacement.
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More high-profile departures could follow, and Liverpool has rejected a bid for defender Ibrahima Konate. An unnamed Saudi Pro League club submitted an offer for Konate, but the defender wants to continue his career in Europe.
Konate is entering the final 12 months of his Liverpool contract, and talks over a new deal have stalled. Konate could follow Alexander-Arnold by leaving the club on a free transfer, but Liverpool is pushing to renew his contract.
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Transfer battle for Isak and Ekitike is a true test of Newcastle's ambition
Those inside Newcastle United knew this moment would come, when the essence of their challenger status would be challenged. How the club's decision-makers respond to Liverpool's attempts to lure Alexander Isak away from Tyneside will tell us a lot about Newcastle's true trajectory in the short-to-medium term. Advertisement Establishing themselves firmly among the footballing 'elite' — or 'No 1', as Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the club chairman and governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Newcastle's 85 per cent majority owner, put it — is what they say they aspire to. Newcastle have made rapid, if stunted, progress inside four years. But the cliche really does apply now: actions will speak louder than words. For months, Newcastle have been unequivocal, publicly and privately: Isak is going nowhere. In March, Darren Eales, the outgoing CEO, described the idea of accepting an offer for Isak this summer as 'crazy'. Eddie Howe, the head coach, insisted as recently as May that the Sweden international 'is not for sale from my perspective'. The noises have always been that Newcastle believe Isak is borderline invaluable to them, with suggestions that offers north of £150million ($200m) would be required for them to even entertain the prospect of losing the 25-year-old. On Monday, The Athletic reported that Newcastle were aiming to pull off a coup by acquiring the much-coveted Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt. The messaging from those inside the club was clear: this is not a case of signing Ekitike and selling Isak, but using Ekitike and Isak in the same attack. Before a return to the Champions League, this felt like a game-changing declaration of intent. By Tuesday, The Athletic reported that Liverpool have communicated their willingness to pay £120m for Isak. This did not come in the form of an official bid and felt like a testing of Newcastle's position, especially given it is short of any abstract asking price (even if it is still an astronomical fee). As of Wednesday morning, the response from the top of Newcastle remained unchanged. Three simple words — 'not for sale' — are being repeated, time and again. Advertisement Newcastle's stance has been beyond bullish up until this point. Isak has three years remaining on his deal, they ideally want to tie him down to an extension and, unlike June 2024, they have no need to sell to ensure compliance with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Al-Rumayyan is a huge fan of Isak and has made it clear that he will not countenance a player described as his favourite being sold. The theory appears sound, but now it is being tested. Newcastle are owned by one of the world's richest sovereign wealth funds and in four years, it has helped transform the club from relegation fodder into trophy winners and Champions League participants. Their squad has a variety of talented players, including Isak, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon. They appear to be closing in on the world's biggest football clubs — but a significant gap still remains, one that can be measured in finances, prestige, titles and pulling power. Were Isak to be tempted — the assumption is he would be, but that it is just an assumption — then few would be surprised and it would make keeping hold of the striker more difficult, especially if he agitated to leave (something Newcastle have always felt he would not do, another prediction that may be stress-tested). While Liverpool may not be as alluring to modern players as Real Madrid or Barcelona, they are the Premier League champions and arguably England's closest equivalent. So, this feels like a critical juncture in Newcastle's attempts to cement themselves as a member of the footballing gentry. Yes, selling Isak for £120m-plus would essentially extinguish any PSR constraints for the foreseeable future and could be reinvested into the squad. Should Ekitike be acquired — which, given Liverpool have formalised their interest in the Frankfurt forward, is far from certain — he would represent a readymade replacement with money left to spend. Advertisement Ekitike is nearly three years younger than Isak and unproven in the Premier League but he has world-class potential. However, substituting Isak for Ekitike represents a calculated gamble — just as signing the Sweden international did in August 2022 — because the Frenchman still has to translate his talents into English football. Winning the race for Ekitike would constitute a genuine statement, especially after he rejected a move to Tyneside in 2022. It would add greater credence to the idea that perceptions of Newcastle are shifting. More important, however, is how they handle Liverpool's pursuit of Isak. Questions have been raised about PIF's commitment to Newcastle, given the lack of (promised) communication on what is happening with the stadium and the failure to build a new training ground. Such scepticism has always been dismissed by senior figures, who insist financial backing is evidence of the owners' ambitions and that such critical investment calls will be made in time. With that in mind, nothing would be more informative of how serious their intentions are than resisting Liverpool's overtures. Even if Newcastle are left with an unhappy player and end up accepting an offer for Isak in 12 months, at least that might make more business sense as he enters the final two years of his deal. Selling Isak now could have an extremely damaging effect. Newcastle's position has been so categorical that, should they relent, the signals it would send have the potential to set the project back considerably. Other top clubs may sense weakness and look to pick off key players, while those stars may begin to doubt their own futures. Should Liverpool beat them to signing Ekitike, that would be a blow, but a bearable one. The fallout of taking Isak to Anfield would be felt for years. Beyond losing Isak's quality and goals, Newcastle would be losing further ground on the established elite. Three words have been repeated countless times by those at Newcastle, but this represents the ultimate examination of whether Isak really is 'not for sale'. (Top photos: Getty Images)
