1 week ago
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Liverpool finds itself in the uncomfortable position of relying on Newcastle's transfer competence. It will only push ahead for Alexander Isak once the North-East outfit has lined up his replacement, but the Magpies have been flapping all summer.
Even before the Isak saga came to a head, Newcastle faced rejection after rejection. One of its potential options, Hugo Ekitike, was snapped up by none other than Liverpoool.
But a deal for Benjamin Sesko now appears to be edging closer to reality — with Liverpool fans cheering it on even more vociferously than the St James' Park faithful. Should the Slovenian arrive, Newcastle may go ahead with its Isak U-turn.
Earlier in the window, Newcastle insisted in no uncertain terms that Isak was not for sale. Indeed, that was essentially the response Liverpool received as recently as last week, when it tabled a first bid.
However, the landscape is constantly shifting — or at least, Newcastle's public stance is. Whether it's a result of Isak's insistence on a move, or simply the endgame that had been privately anticipated from the outset, the press are now briefing that the star striker will be up for sale after all.
In this case, it's Craig Hope of the Daily Mail doing the reporting. He says that Newcastle views Sesko as an Isak replacement, and that a sufficient bid from Liverpool will likely be enough to get a deal done if the RB Leipzig striker's services are secured.
In fairness, as Hope is at pains to point out, this is more or less consistent with his reporting from the moment Isak did not travel with Newcastle on the Far East tour. From that point onward, there has been an acceptance of sorts that an adequate replacement and a big Liverpool bid could trigger a deal.
But various outlets rushed to say that Liverpool's interest was effectively over after a first bid was turned down. Newcastle gave a swift and clear response, one which suggested a reluctance to do business on any terms.
It's hard to avoid the conclusion that selling Isak now, regardless of the conditions of sale, would be a major U-turn for Newcastle, albeit one that may be in its best interests. The saga has been somewhat botched, in truth, which is no doubt symptomatic of the lack of clear transfer structure currently in place.
Whereas Liverpool has Richard Hughes pulling the strings, ultimately answering to Michael Edwards, there is no equivalent hierarchy at Newcastle. Paul Mitchell left his role as sporting director by mutual consent after just one year, and the Magpies are managing its biggest summer in years with no replacement at the helm.
Amanda Stavely and Mehrdad Ghodoussi previously provided some level of footballing guidance from within the ownership group, but they stepped down last summer. Quite apart from how Isak has been managed, it's little wonder that Newcastle has struggled to convince any of its targets.
It seems safe to say that the club overestimated how much pull it would have as a result of returning to the Champions League. That status alone has not been enough to gazump the more traditional big boys, and the Carabao Cup win has unsurprisingly not moved the dial either.
But having seen Ekitike, Joao Pedro and Bryan Mbeumo slip away, Newcastle now appears to have a genuine shot at Sesko. It once again faces competition from Manchester United, but Eddie Howe's side has been the first to formalize its interest with a bid.
Work has gone into convincing the striker, who appears to be open to the project, albeit without shutting the door on Man United. As things stand, the deal looks to be getting close, with Newcastle lodging a second bid worth a guaranteed $92 million, and a further $11.5 million in add-ons.
Should this be accepted, things would hopefully move quickly. And after Newcastle's climbdown over Isak, that should open the door for Liverpool to make a second bid of its own — things are heating up.
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