Liverpool appear to have admitted defeat in the push to sign Alexander Isak after ‘challenging negotiations’ with Newcastle and Arne Slot has selected a new ‘priority’ striker target.
The Reds are comfortably this summer’s biggest spenders, with nearly £200m invested on Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman.
Their attention has turned to a new No.9 with Darwin Nunez looking set for the Anfield exit if the club can agree a fee with Napoli or an alternative suitor for the Uruguayan.
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg recently revealed that Liverpool had three targets in contention to become their new striker with Entracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen joining Isak on their wish list.
Plettenberg wrote on X: ‘Liverpool are currently focusing on three concrete options in their search for a new number 9: Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, and Victor Osimhen.
READ: Liverpool master the buy-back clause to engineer £75m worst-case scenario and stunning dream outcome
‘#LFC have conducted thorough checks and gathered information on all of them. Ekitike, for example, is very high on the list. The French striker knows that if he moves to Liverpool, he will need to be patient because the club must sell players first.’
Liverpool are ‘looking for a centre-forward with pace who can also press and is adept at link-up play’ claimed a report on Wednesday, with Ekitike ‘identified as the best fit for that profile’.
And CaughtOffside have now confirmed that Slot has made the 23-year-old their ‘priority target’ after ‘extensive scouting and internal analysis’.
The report states:
‘Slot is looking for a striker who is not only impressive with his goal scoring ability but also with his high pressing as well as his link-up play.
‘Ekitike’s profile ticks these boxes while offering a more financially feasible option compared to Isak and Osimhen, positioning him as the club’s top priority.’
MORE LIVERPOOL COVERAGE ON F365
👉 Every Premier League club’s favourite shop damns Manchester United and shows Liverpool brilliance
👉 Isak to Liverpool? Arsenal land Rodrygo but Gyokeres hijacked? Dream signings for every PL club
👉 Transfer rumour power ranking: Liverpool offered Kudus, Man Utd submit PSG bid
The striker, who’s also drawn the attention of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United this summer after his 22 goals and 12 assists last season, is thought to be valued at around €85-100m, which they believe ‘reflects his potential and the growing demand in the market’.
It’s claimed Ekitike is ‘willing to wait patiently’ to secure a move to the Reds as he is ‘aware that Liverpool may need to offload players first to facilitate a move’.
Liverpool’s Plan A was Isak ‘but negotiations have proven challenging, with Newcastle placing a hefty £150 million valuation on the Swedish international while indicating they are reluctant to sell’.