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Liverpool continues to maintain an interest in Alexander Isak. But with Newcastle disinclined to sell, the situation currently remains deadlocked.
There's every chance it stays that way, with Eddie Howe's side able to fall back on the three years still left to run on Isak's contract. But lingering suspicions remain that there will be more twists to come in the saga before the end of the window.
After all, while Liverpool has already signed Hugo Ekitike, it has also sold Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz — and while it feels crude to mention in the context of transfer plans, it also lost Diogo Jota in tragic circumstances.
Even if Isak does prove unattainable, there's a case to be made that Liverpool will need to pivot to another target in what's left of the transfer window. Perhaps the lack of major alternative links suggests that the Reds believe a deal for the Swede may still arrive on the table.
Sam Allardyce thinks that will be the case. He believes that the power remains with Isak's camp, in spite of the ample time remaining on his contract.
"It’s a three-year contract he’s still got left," Allardyce told the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, in partnership with BOYLE Sports. "If he only had one year left, Liverpool wouldn’t be offering what they’re offering.
"The value of the player is not only in his football, but also in the length of his contract. If you let him get to the last year, you’ve wasted your time.
"I don’t like saying it, but it’s true, there’s too much power on the player and the agents' side. That’s what’s caused all this."
It's hard to follow exactly what Allardyce is getting at. The situation would indeed be very different if Isak was into the final year of his contract — but with that not being the case, the power would at least appear to lie with Newcastle.
But those within the game often seem to be of the opinion that player power always wins. Harry Redknapp said much the same about Isak recently.
Allardyce warned that owners are typically not brave enough to let players "sit there and rot". Speaking on the same podcast, former Sheffield Wednesday coach Chris Powell went even further, declaring the transfer effectively a done deal.
"I think Isak’s going to Liverpool," Powell said. "For him to do that and express his desire to leave, he’s going.
"They’re not going to keep him and tell him he’s in the reserves. You can’t do that anymore, those days are over.
"He’s going to Liverpool. And if Liverpool gets him, that’s it: the league is over."
Of course, that would certainly represent a happy ending for Liverpool. But while this is undoubtedly interesting insight from two coaches who will have been in similar situations, it would be hasty to consider the Isak move too much of a foregone conclusion.
Ultimately, neither Allardyce nor Powell have had to deal with the delicacies of prizing the best striker in the world away from a state-backed club with an apparent inability to sign its top targets. So much about this transfer saga is new territory.
Liverpool has every right to hold out hope, and it would be foolish to shut any doors. But Arne Slot needs to make completely sure that he is happy with the make-up of his full squad when the window closes on September 1, regardless of whether or not Isak is in red.
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