Latest news with #Liverpool-connected
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alexander Isak Reportedly Pushing Hard to Force Newcastle Exit
Liverpool are one forward short as they prepare to begin the 2025-26 season and a Premier League title defence. They would very much like that forward to be Newcastle United's 25-year-old Swedish superstar Alexander Isak, and the Reds are willing to pay a British record transfer fee to sign him. Getting the player out of Newcastle, though, has proven difficult. An initial £110M bid, always intended to be the starting point for negotiations, was rejected so vehemently that Liverpool stepped back from negotiations. At the same time, Newcastle have struggled mightily to source a potential replacement. Increasingly over the past week, the transfer has begun to feel in doubt. In response, it appears Isak has now decided he will push hard to force the issue. Multiple reliable reports today have emerged detailing numerous aspects both of that push and detailing the player's unhappiness with his club. From journalists with Newcastle connections there are reports citing Isak's determination to leave; more neutral outlets are saying he has left his Newcastle home and intends not to return; Liverpool-connected channels have it that Isak will not re-join his team regardless the outcome of a Liverpool transfer. Perhaps the most interesting and illuminating aspect of it all, though, is confirmation of the reasons for the striker's current extreme stance. Namely, Isak believes he properly and respectfully told Newcastle of his desire to move on from the club a year ago and has maintained that stance ever since. Newcastle, so the story goes, were informed 2024-25 would be his final year. That stance was reiterated towards the end of the season. Isak believed the club had accepted this reality and would not unduly work to prevent that, and that they had more than ample time to plan for a future without him. Isak could have pushed for a move last summer. Instead, he gave Newcastle what he believed would be one last year, putting in world class performances and helping them qualify for the Champions League. Now he wants to leave, and believes he is owed a degree of respect from the club on that front. In many ways it's not dissimilar to the case of Brentford player Yoane Wissa, currently targeted by Newcastle but with his club unwilling to sell despite the player believing they would not stand in the way of his departure this summer if he agreed to stay and gave them another season last summer. We know Liverpool's stance. Namely, that they will pay a British record transfer fee to sign Isak. We also now quite clearly know Isak's. Namely, that he tried to get a transfer done in the right way but believes Newcastle have not held up their side of the bargain from when he agreed to stay last summer. Newcastle, though, hold the strongest position, with Isak under contract for three more years. Still, this is the strongest and most public showing yet of Isak's will to leave. And if Newcastle hoped he would uncomplainingly buckle down for a second final season, he's now shown clearly he won't.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool's ‘big summer' and what champions-elect need to stay on top
Virgil van Dijk's new Liverpool contract is expected to be announced imminently - Getty Images/Paul Ellis Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he is expecting a 'big summer' of transfer activity at Anfield as the club builds on their increasingly likely league title success. Arne Slot's side need two more wins to guarantee a 20th championship for the club, but plans are already advanced to evolve the squad in the event of a title defence. Advertisement Van Dijk will be part of that future as the formalities of his new two-year deal are expected to be completed by the end of this week, with Mohamed Salah having committed the rest of his peak years to Liverpool. A formal announcement on Van Dijk's deal is delayed in part because the skipper wants the main focus of this week to be Tuesday's 36th anniversary of the Hillsborough Stadium disaster, when 97 Liverpool supporters were unlawfully killed at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. After scoring the winning goal against West Ham United on Sunday, which put Liverpool on the brink of the title, Van Dijk said he was excited that there is more room for improvement in a team 13 points ahead of its nearest rivals, especially as Slot has not fully realised his vision for the team. 'Liverpool should be able to challenge for titles in the upcoming years. Whatever happens in terms of players going out, players coming in, I think it should be a big summer,' said Van Dijk. 'I think they're planning to make it a big summer, so we all have to trust the board as a Liverpool-connected fan to do the right job.' Van Dijk says it is a credit to Slot that he has got so much out of the team in his debut campaign. 'I think we 100 per cent can improve. We shouldn't forget the quality that the Premier League possesses, especially this season, in my opinion,' he said. Advertisement 'It's incredible how everyone can beat everyone. But if you take it all the way back to last summer, I didn't have a proper pre-season. I think I came in on the Monday before we played Sevilla. I played 90 minutes straight away, then the following week it was Ipswich and then you're just back into it. 'You don't have time to work on what the manager really wants in terms of a training camp. This year, there is a training camp and there is time for the team to work on what the manager wants and I think that will then improve the team. 'There are still so many things to improve. Even if you look at other results over the last couple of weeks, Brentford got a draw at Arsenal. I've heard Chelsea-Ipswich was a draw. We obviously lost against Fulham last week, so we can't forget that either. But a proper pre-season would definitely help the club in order to be even more consistent than we already have been.' Liverpool's big summer and key areas Slot must address Defence If, as expected, Trent Alexander-Arnold signs for Real Madrid, Liverpool's right-back options as it stands will be Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah. The latter duo are first and foremost centre-backs, so the club will be mindful of expecting Bradley to play more than 50 games. Advertisement Similarly, at left-back, Andy Robertson will look a different player if he is not expected to start every week, Kostas Tsimikas having remained a deputy rather than a player capable of becoming first choice. Ideally, Liverpool will sign versatile defenders who operate at centre-back or full-back, and someone with the capacity to match Robertson's excellence of the past eight years. Midfield Liverpool tried and failed to sign a No 6 last summer, consequently reinventing Ryan Gravenberch, who has been a sensation. However, the Dutchman has been so essential to Arne Slot's system that he could never be left out and in the last few weeks, he has not been as sharp. Slot evidently sees the popular Wataru Endo as a different profile of anchorman, so the manager will be seeking more ball players to give him the option of rotating more often. How many he can add will depend on the future of Endo and Harvey Elliott, and whether they are happy as substitutes moving forward. Attack Slot has been blessed with options as Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez have been part of a rotation process alongside Mohamed Salah. Slot's only signing, Federico Chiesa, has been limited to cameos. Advertisement Much will depend on the future of Núñez this summer, with the Uruguayan having previously been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. Liverpool have been scouting several No 9s and wide attackers and their data department will be crunching the numbers to see who, if anyone, is better than what they currently have. Slot recently observed that 'Liverpool are not the type of side which blows teams away with three goals in the first 25 minutes'. He will be looking for more killers up front who can do exactly that, so that their periods of control yield more goals. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Liverpool's ‘big summer' and what champions-elect need to stay on top
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he is expecting a 'big summer' of transfer activity at Anfield as the club builds on their increasingly likely league title success. Arne Slot's side need two more wins to guarantee a 20th championship for the club, but plans are already advanced to evolve the squad in the event of a title defence. Van Dijk will be part of that future as the formalities of his new two-year deal are expected to be completed by the end of this week, with Mohamed Salah having committed the rest of his peak years to Liverpool. A formal announcement on Van Dijk's deal is delayed in part because the skipper wants the main focus of this week to be Tuesday's 36th anniversary of the Hillsborough Stadium disaster, when 97 Liverpool supporters were unlawfully killed at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. After scoring the winning goal against West Ham United on Sunday, which put Liverpool on the brink of the title, Van Dijk said he was excited that there is more room for improvement in a team 13 points ahead of its nearest rivals, especially as Slot has not fully realised his vision for the team. 'Liverpool should be able to challenge for titles in the upcoming years. Whatever happens in terms of players going out, players coming in, I think it should be a big summer,' said Van Dijk. 'I think they're planning to make it a big summer, so we all have to trust the board as a Liverpool-connected fan to do the right job.' VVD in front of the Kop 😍©️ — Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 13, 2025 Van Dijk says it is a credit to Slot that he has got so much out of the team in his debut campaign. 'I think we 100 per cent can improve. We shouldn't forget the quality that the Premier League possesses, especially this season, in my opinion,' he said. 'It's incredible how everyone can beat everyone. But if you take it all the way back to last summer, I didn't have a proper pre-season. I think I came in on the Monday before we played Sevilla. I played 90 minutes straight away, then the following week it was Ipswich and then you're just back into it. 'You don't have time to work on what the manager really wants in terms of a training camp. This year, there is a training camp and there is time for the team to work on what the manager wants and I think that will then improve the team. 'There are still so many things to improve. Even if you look at other results over the last couple of weeks, Brentford got a draw at Arsenal. I've heard Chelsea-Ipswich was a draw. We obviously lost against Fulham last week, so we can't forget that either. But a proper pre-season would definitely help the club in order to be even more consistent than we already have been.' Liverpool's big summer and key areas Slot must address Defence If, as expected, Trent Alexander-Arnold signs for Real Madrid, Liverpool's right-back options as it stands will be Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah. The latter duo are first and foremost centre-backs, so the club will be mindful of expecting Bradley to play more than 50 games. Similarly, at left-back, Andy Robertson will look a different player if he is not expected to start every week, Kostas Tsimikas having remained a deputy rather than a player capable of becoming first choice. Ideally, Liverpool will sign versatile defenders who operate at centre-back or full-back, and someone with the capacity to match Robertson's excellence of the past eight years. Midfield Liverpool tried and failed to sign a No 6 last summer, consequently reinventing Ryan Gravenberch, who has been a sensation. However, the Dutchman has been so essential to Arne Slot's system that he could never be left out and in the last few weeks, he has not been as sharp. Slot evidently sees the popular Wataru Endo as a different profile of anchorman, so the manager will be seeking more ball players to give him the option of rotating more often. How many he can add will depend on the future of Endo and Harvey Elliott, and whether they are happy as substitutes moving forward. Attack Slot has been blessed with options as Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez have been part of a rotation process alongside Mohamed Salah. Slot's only signing, Federico Chiesa, has been limited to cameos. Much will depend on the future of Núñez this summer, with the Uruguayan having previously been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. Liverpool have been scouting several No 9s and wide attackers and their data department will be crunching the numbers to see who, if anyone, is better than what they currently have. Slot recently observed that 'Liverpool are not the type of side which blows teams away with three goals in the first 25 minutes'. He will be looking for more killers up front who can do exactly that, so that their periods of control yield more goals.
The Independent
14-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Virgil Van Dijk outlines what Liverpool need to retain challenge for titles in upcoming years
Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool need a 'big summer' in the transfer market to position them to win silverware in the next few seasons. Liverpool only need two victories to win the Premier League title and could become champions as soon as Sunday but captain Van Dijk is looking to the future. The defender has dropped a hint that he will follow Mohamed Salah in signing a new contract and has underlined that he wants to stay by saying it is 'obvious' how much he loves Liverpool and that the club is 'part of me'. And now he believes they need to be busy in the summer after only buying one player who is part of Arne Slot 's squad, Federico Chiesa, last year. Liverpool are likely to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold when his contract expires, with the right-back a target for Real Madrid, and Van Dijk feels that, behind the scenes, director of football Richard Hughes and owners Fenway Sports Group will look to do to business. He said: 'I think Liverpool should be able to challenge for titles in the upcoming years. Whatever happens in terms of players going out, players coming in, I think it should be a big summer. I think they're planning to make it a big summer, so we all have to trust the board as a Liverpool-connected fan to do the right job.' Van Dijk's own contract ends this summer but he has been in talks with Liverpool for months and said last week that progress had been made. But there has long been the expectation he would remain at Anfield and the defender, a £75m signing from Southampton, said why Liverpool means so much to him. 'I think it's the whole combination,' he added. 'I joined the club in 2017 for many reasons. Reasons like how much it means to all the Scousers, to all the fans around the whole world to be connected to Liverpool. Being successful with Liverpool; the culture of the club, everything that embodies Liverpool that is just part of me. 'That's why I'm always proud when I wear that shirt, go out there and try to be the best version of myself in terms of the football player that I am. We are two wins, six points away from glory. I know what it means to the club and I know what it will bring us if it happens. Most of the players don't so when it happens, it will be beautiful but we still have a job to do. 'But going back to the fact that I love the club, that's pretty obvious. I think you can see that in the way I speak about the club, the way I work for the club in terms of what I do on the pitch on and off the pitch, and that will always be the same.' Salah, who could have left on a free transfer, signed a new two-year deal on Friday. The Egyptian has scored 32 goals and got 23 assists this season and Van Dijk believes he can carry on excelling. 'You can't put it in words how consistent he is,' he said. 'Obviously his numbers, but the work rate he's put in over those last eight years at the club is incredible and he can still show it for another few years.' Van Dijk scored a late winner against West Ham on Sunday but only after being involved in the mix-up that led to Andy Robertson scoring an own goal. 'It's unfortunately part of the game,' he said. 'Very, very unlucky. I think if you play the game of football, these moments are split second. and in the end, we don't get punished for it, so that's a good thing.'
