Liverpool could be dealing in unchartered transfer waters amid interest in Alexander Isak of Newcastle United and Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi
Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak
Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak(Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Forget last-minute winners, controversial officiating or memorable trophy successes. For some supporters, nothing quite gets the blood pumping and heart racing as much as a transfer.
Focus is inevitably concentrated on those coming through the door, with the excitement over new signings and fresh faces almost always exponentially greater than that of watching a player leave.
There are, of course, some notable exceptions, such as the furore on Tyneside that continues to be sparked by wantaway Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak and Liverpool's ongoing interest in the 25-year-old.
Sales, though, generally just aren't as sexy as signings. But an ability to gain top dollar for players deemed surplus to requirements or who see their future elsewhere is almost as important a trait as the ability to recruit.
And Liverpool, with sporting director Richard Hughes spearheading transfer business, are once again underlining they are among the market leaders in generating income.
The latest such move is that of 19-year-old winger Ben Doak, who is joining Bournemouth for £25million. Doak had cost £600,000 from Celtic three years ago and ultimately made only 10 senior appearances for the Reds, only four of which were as a starter with the last coming way back in December 2023.
Not including add-ons, the exit will take the money recouped by Liverpool beyond the £200m mark for the summer with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhin Kelleher, Nat Phillips, Jarell Quansah, Luis Diaz, Tyler Morton and Darwin Nunez having already departed.
That goes some way to explaining why Arne Slot's side have been able to commit almost £300m on new players this summer with more likely to spent before the September 1 transfer deadline given the ongoing interest in Isak as well as Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi.
Doak's departure would move the Reds almost on a par with Chelsea and Bournemouth regards most money raised from player sales by Premier League clubs during the ongoing transfer window.
And in terms of net spend, Liverpool would be in the same region as Manchester City, Sunderland and Newcastle and have almost half the total of Manchester United and Arsenal, the duo who at present have by far the biggest overall outlay.
Some clubs are better than others than selling. Intriguing, then, is that Liverpool's immediate future is entwined among the top-flight's least proficient in that regard.
Arsenal, the Reds' nearest title rivals last season, are among them. True, the Gunners have improved in recent years with some of their biggest sales being Emile Smith-Rowe, Folarin Balogun and Eddie Nketiah.
But it's remarkable to consider the most money they've ever received for a player remains the £35m from Liverpool to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain almost eight years ago. The Reds have sold eight players for more.
Newcastle's record exit isn't any higher, purportedly Elliot Anderson's move to Nottingham Forest last summer for around £35m. That it formed part of a player-exchange deal with Odysseas Vlachodimos, though, means the true value is open for debate, with Andy Carroll's exit to Liverpool for £35m in January 2011 arguably still their more lucrative departure.
Since Liverpool won the Premier League in 2020, only five teams - Chelsea, Manchester City, Brighton, Wolves and Aston Villa - have raised more from player sales, with the Reds' net spend behind that of Chelsea and City.
And of the teams to have remained in the Premier League throughout that period, the only one to have brought in less from player sales than Arsenal and Newcastle United is Crystal Palace.
Maybe Newcastle and Palace drive too hard a bargain. Perhaps their players simply haven't been able to command sizeable fees.
But what's clear is both clubs aren't used to negotiating sales with the kind of amount Liverpool have been offering for Isak and Guehi respectively. It adds another level of intrigue to the remaining weeks of the transfer window for the Reds.