Liverpool's season gets underway at Anfield on Friday night, but one star is absent from the squad as he closes in on a transfer to their opponents Bournemouth, potentially paving the way for Alexander Isak
16:19, 15 Aug 2025Updated 16:22, 15 Aug 2025
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Ben Doak will be absent from Liverpool's line-up tonight as he edges closer to a transfer to their opponents, Bournemouth.
The two teams are set to clash in the Premier League curtain raiser at Anfield on Friday night. With Bournemouth on the brink of securing a £25million deal for the Scotland international, having beaten Porto and Stuttgart in the race for his signature.
Doak, 19, is eager to stay in the Premier League after spending the previous season on loan at Championship side Middlesbrough. Liverpool paid £600,000 to bring the promising youngster from Celtic in 2022, with high expectations under Jurgen Klopp's management.
However, injuries and stiff competition have hampered his progress, leading him to seek regular first-team football on the south coast.
This move could set off a domino effect of transfers, with Bournemouth's Dango Ouattara potentially heading to Brentford for a fee of up to £42.5m. This, in turn, could see the Bees parting ways with Yoane Wissa, who has been absent from training as he eyes a move to Newcastle.
Ben Doak
Ben Doak is set to leave Liverpool(Image: Carl Recine, Getty Images)
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However, to Liverpool's disappointment, Wissa is not being considered by the Magpies as a replacement for Alexander Isak. Liverpool's bid for the Swedish forward was rebuffed, and he continues to train separately from Newcastle's first team, reports the Mirror.
In his press conference ahead of Newcastle's Premier League opener against Aston Villa, Eddie Howe indicated that there had been no developments regarding the 25-year-old's future.
"Alex's situation has been unchanged for a while, and that will continue to be the case," he said. "I've had a great relationship with Alex.
Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak wants to leave Newcastle United(Image: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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"You need that with every player. I take my part in that relationship really importantly. I have to work really closely with the player to his benefit."
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When asked about whether a new offer had been tabled for Isak, Howe replied: "No, there has been no change, all my focus has been on training and Villa and the transfer front."
Questioned whether the striker might stay at St James' Park past the transfer window, he responded: "At the moment I would say yes but I've had no change of feeling throughout the summer. He's contracted to us but it's out of my hands."