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Liverpool’s transfer activity seems to be kicking back into gear with the news of an “outline of agreement” being reached for Hugo Ekitike.
The forward could wind up joining the Reds on a deal worth more than $110 million, according to a report from The Athletic, should all the add-on clauses eventually be met.
With Darwin Nunez potentially on his way out of the club, Liverpool appears to have his replacement ready in Ekitike, an important addition given the club is shorthanded up front after the tragic death of Diogo Jota.
But Ekitike isn’t the only striker on the club’s radar.
Newcastle’s Alexander Isak has been a Liverpool target for some time and remains a possible addition to the club with the preseason already underway.
Isak was not with Newcastle for the club’s friendly at Celtic, which resulted in a 4-0 win for the Glasgow side.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said the decision was his to leave Isak behind amid rumors about his future.
“It was my decision. I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him,” Howe said. “The last thing he wanted is to be sat in the stand watching, that wasn’t fair to him.”
Still, Howe believes Isak will remain on Tyneside for the upcoming season, and the club’s valuation of its striker may be the reason why.
According to The Telegraph, Newcastle values Isak at £150 million ($201.2M), a far cry from the £120 million ($161M) Liverpool appears willing to pay for him. Should Newcastle receive its full valuation for Isak, it would be a record transfer fee for a player at a British club.
“I’d say we have a few players who are irreplaceable,” Howe said. “Your top players are so hard to find. They are so hard to recruit and develop and make them into those players.
“When you have them, you need to treasure them. We certainly as staff recognise his talent and ability. We are desperate to keep him as part of our team.
“It is difficult for me to sit here and give 100 per cent clarity on any player. I’d never sit here and do that. It is football and you never know what can happen. All I can say is that Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players and staff, the team.
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“I have never had any issue with him other than seeing him express his talent and express himself. Certainly I am confident that he is going to be here at the start of the season.”
Whether Liverpool could afford both Ekitike and Isak is unclear. The club has brought in funds from the sales of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah and Caoimhin Kellehe, and the potential sales of Nunez and Harvey Elliott could help the cause. If the club did add both, the Premier League champions would be around a gross summer spend of $500 million.
The club may choose to strengthen itself in other positions, among them centerback, where Marc Guehi remains an option.
The Crystal Palace defender has been a Liverpool target for a while, but Jota’s death and other business appears to have stalled the transfer process. Still, BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel believes there is a “deal to be done.”
“My understanding at the moment is that there isn’t anything club-to-club yet. I expect that to happen in some form or another in the not-too-distant future,” Mokbel said in an interview with The Redmen TV. “It’s down to the clubs reaching an agreement. I don’t know if it’ll be necessarily that easy, knowing how Palace operate.”
Palace reportedly values Guehi at a whopping £65 million ($87.1M), a high price for a player with just one year left on his contract. Last year, Palace turned down several offers from Newcastle United around the $81 million mark and could be forced to reduce their asking price to salvage a fee through a sale this summer.
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