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Virgil van Dijk has dropped a strong hint that he would like Liverpool to splash out and secure the signing of Alexander Isak. It comes amid an ultimatum issued to the Reds.
Despite having an initial British-record offer of nearly $150 million turned down by Newcastle, Liverpool is expected to make another bid. Isak, aged 25, has made it clear to the Newcastle management that he wishes to depart, prompting the Magpies to search for potential replacements for their star forward.
Liverpool has already shelled out £79M ($106.5M) on Hugo Ekitike but is keen to add more attacking prowess following this summer's developments. The club was hit by tragedy when Diogo Jota tragically lost his life in a car accident last month.
Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have since departed for a total of $150M. This has created a gap in the forward line, with Isak being suggested as the ideal candidate to fill it.
Liverpool's manager, Arne Slot, has kept his cards close to his chest regarding the pursuit of the Swedish player, expressing confidence in his current forwards ahead of Sunday's Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace. However, post-match, Van Dijk hinted at the need for reinforcements.
When questioned about whether Liverpool's squad was lacking in attackers, the Liverpool skipper responded: "I don't know - we will find out! Everything that happened with Diogo, tragic, and Lucho (Diaz) and Darwin leaving.
"Those are three senior attackers. I fully trust the club to do the right thing - what they think is good for the club."
The question of whether Liverpool needs Isak has sparked a heated debate. Prior to the Palace match, manager Slot stated: "We think we already have a lot of attacking power in our team," he said last week.
"I think about Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Mo Salah, Jeremie Frimpong who can play as a right winger, Florian Wirtz who can play as a left winger... I already feel I have a lot of attacking options in my squad, but always as a club we are looking at the chances in the market but that can also be in the midfield and the last line."
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher isn't entirely sold on the idea of the Reds shelling out such a substantial sum. "It will be an amazing signing. But from a Liverpool fan point of view, I don't want the club to spend £150m on Isak," Carragher expressed on The Overlap.
"I could probably imagine that he was Liverpool's No. 1 target but there's something about Liverpool buying a striker [Ekitike] for $106.5M and he's a back-up. There's something about it that doesn't sit right to me.
"I look at Isak, he's obviously thrown his toys out of the pram once Arsenal and Liverpool signed a striker. From him and his agent's point of view, did they not tell Newcastle months ago that they wanted to move on? It just seems a little bit messy.
"When I think of Liverpool, it doesn't look really planned. I don't think the plan is to sign a striker for £80m and sign one for £120m. I feel for Ekitike a little bit. Because he's been brought in and then all of a sudden this Isak thing has come.
"I do want Liverpool to sign Isak, but $201M for me feels like a [Kylian] Mbappe. You should be getting Mbappe for $201M."
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