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Liverpool's desire to sign Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak could mark the end of a decade-long reluctance to sign a proven Premier League center-forward.
The Reds have avoided purchasing established strikers from the English top-flight since acquiring Christian Benteke from Aston Villa in 2015.
Newcastle United rejected Liverpool's $148 million bid for Isak, who netted 23 league goals last season. The forward is training separately from Newcastle's first team and has reportedly refused to play for the club again, despite Newcastle's insistence that he is not for sale.
It's been an eventful summer for Liverpool already, with expensive signings like Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike contrasting sharply with last year. However, the Liverpool is still striving to bring in more talent, and a deal for Isak would be a first of its kind for the Reds in ten years.
In 2015, Liverpool spent $51M to sign Benteke from Villa, a team which he had scored 49 goals in 101 matches for. Despite previously being prolific in the top-flight, he was sold to Crystal Palace just a year later, having scored 10 in 42 appearances. Since then, the club has avoided repeating the same mistake.
Benteke joined in the same summer as Roberto Firmino, who became a crucial component in Liverpool's attack that would eventually guide the Reds to Premier League and Champions League success. Then-manager Brendan Rodgers also brought in Danny Ings from newly-relegated Burnley shortly before completing a move for Benteke.
The next year saw Liverpool recruit Sadio Manee from Southampton, though the Senegalese star wasn't a traditional striker, frequently operating out wide in Juurgen Klopp's system. A similar case could be argued for versatile attacker Diogo Jota's arrival from Wolves in 2020.
When it became necessary to sign another center-forward in 2022, the Reds chose Darwin Nunez from Benfica, instead of a Premier League striker. Meanwhile, Dominic Solanke joining Liverpool from Chelsea through a tribunal in 2017 is not comparable to Benteke's marquee transfer or Isak's potentetial move to Anfield.
Isak won't feature in Newcastle's season opener against Aston Villa on Saturday. Newcastle boss Howe has acknowledged the impact the transfer speculation has had on his squad and hinted that his side has adapted to being without Isak.
"I don't think it's been healthy for us," Howe said, as reported by The Mirror. "I don't deny that's been a big challenge. Alex, for me, is one of the best strikers in the world – if not the best. To miss him from your squad leaves a huge gap.
"I think morale was certainly affected early on during pre-season. There was nothing I could do to affect that – it was always going to be there.
"When you have a player that good who is not part of your group, it's difficult for the players to fully understand it and to know what's going on and how to react.
"But, as time has gone on, there has been an acceptance this is the squad and we have got to make the best of the situation. That's always been my train of thought.
"Whatever situation you're in, you have got to find a way and you can only control what you can control. We have moved forward and I've got to say the atmosphere of the group has been very good in the last couple of weeks."
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