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With Luis Diaz heading to Bayern Munich, the speculation surrounding Liverpool and Alexander Isak is unlikely to be dampened. It hasn't taken long for some to put two and two together.
Earlier this summer, the Reds did make an inquiry about the Swede. Since then, he has made it clear to his current club that he would like to explore his options — with a move to Liverpool being the obvious one.
There has been some chatter about the Saudi Pro League, but at this stage, it looks like Isak will be playing in Newcastle's first home game next season. The question is whether that will be for the Magpies or the visitors, Liverpool.
If the Reds (and Isak) are able to convince Newcastle to change its stance on the player not being for sale, then it will take a British record transfer fee to get the deal over the line.
But while that might not appear to be a particularly Liverpool-like move, the Reds have had no reservations in the past about paying big fees — and not just this summer for Florian Wirtz.
Virgil van Dijk became the most expensive defender in the world when he signed from Southampton. A few months later, Alisson Becker joined him as the most expensive goalkeeper.
When there is a game-changing player on the market, Liverpool is not scared of making a big splash.
"With Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and Luis Diaz expected to leave, they want to reshape their attack to have players like Hugo Ekitike, who can play on the wing if needed, and creative players like Wirtz," transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said on his 'Here We Go' podcast over the weekend.
"They believe Alexander Isak is a perfect, perfect opportunity to give Arne Slot something special. In some moments, it’s about the opportunity.
"You can plan whatever you want, you can prepare whatever you want, but in the market, there are moments you have the opportunity. Liverpool feels that this is their opportunity to get the player, with many other clubs not working on a deal."
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It is telling that there are few other teams out there that Isak could join. Real Madrid and PSG don't need a No. 9, while Arsenal has just splashed out on Viktor Gyokeres and Manchester City has Erling Haaland.
Chelsea was briefly linked with a move for Isak when the news emerged that he wanted to leave, but that talk has since died down. If nothing else, the Stamford Bridge outfit has already spent big on Joao Pedro (and scores of others).
"At the moment, there is basically no direct competition," Romano explained. "That doesn’t mean that other clubs don’t want Isak, but it means that they are not ready to go for it in the moment.
"So, for Liverpool, it is a big, big chance on the market. They want to go for the player. They have the chance to go big, and they don’t want to miss this."
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