7 hours ago
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The pieces appear to be falling into place to facilitate moves to Liverpool for both Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi.
The Reds already have spent a lot of money this summer, signing Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni, while Giorgi Mamardashvili also goes down as a 2025 transfer on the books, despite his move to Anfield being agreed a year ago.
That spend has been offset by significant player sales, leaving the Reds with a sizable budget for further additions before the window closes on Monday.
The Isak saga has dominated the window, and the Swede's heart remains set on a move to Anfield having made himself unavailable for selection by Newcastle since before the club's preseason tour of China, which began over a month ago.
Liverpool saw an initial bid of just under $150 million for Isak rejected earlier in August, and the emphatic nature of Newcastle's rejection discouraged the Reds from returning with a second bid unless they received encouragement that a deal could be done.
That encouragement came in the form of Newcastle agreeing to sign Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart this week, and an official announcement confirming the German's arrival in the North East is expected imminently.
Woltemade is viewed by Newcastle as a direct replacement for Isak, which surely means the Swede will end up moving to Liverpool before the closure of the transfer window.
Meanwhile, a deal to sign Guehi could be moving closer after the BBC reported that Crystal Palace is working to sign two new center-backs ahead of Monday's deadline.
That's despite Oliver Glasner saying he was intent on keeping hold of Guehi for the 2025-26 season because there is not enough time to sign an adequate replacement for his captain.
“From my side, he has to [still be a Crystal Palace player] because it’s not possible at the moment to find a Marc Guehi replacement who can play straight in the Premier League, being a starter, being consistent,” Glasner said.
Palace has agreed a deal to sign young French defender Jaydee Canvot from Toulouse, while the Selhurst Park club is interested in Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji.
Akanji is said to be uncertain about joining Palace, but the South London club is not short of other targets, with Ousmane Diomande and Evan Ndicka said to be on its shortlist.
Despite Glasner's reluctance to lose Guehi, it is reported that Palace as a club does not want to lose the England international on a free transfer next year, so Guehi could end up being sold to Liverpool against the manager's wishes.
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