Liverpool are lining up a move for Real Madrid forward Rodrygo on deadline day if Newcastle refuse to budge on Alexander Isak, according to reports.
The Reds had been given little chance of landing the Sweden international earlier in the summer as the Magpies took a strong stance over his future.
However, Liverpool were given enough encouragement to place a £110m bid for Isak earlier in the window with Newcastle immediately rejecting that offer.
Isak has since gone on strike and is reportedly refusing to play for Newcastle again with the Swede pushing for a move to Liverpool before deadline day.
The Newcastle striker even went as far as calling out the club in a statement, insisting that “when promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can’t continue.”
Their Saudi owners recently flew in for talks with Isak in an attempt to end the saga but a report on Tuesday claimed that the Liverpool transfer target ‘remains adamant he wants to leave Newcastle United despite the intervention of chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan who is keen to broker a deal that leads to the striker remaining at the club’.
It has since been claimed that Liverpool are now preparing to formalise a new offer for Isak that ‘will surpass the £130m mark’ but Newcastle are thought to be demanding £150m to even consider a sale.
And now GiveMeSport have claimed that Liverpool are ‘tempted to make a deadline day attempt to sign Real Madrid star Rodrygo if they are unable to convince’ Newcastle to sell Isak.
Rodrygo, who is reportedly valued at €100m (£86m), has fallen down the pecking order at Real Madrid and could be looking for regular first-team football.
The report adds: ‘GMS sources have been informed that Liverpool could enter the race for Rodrygo, who registered 23 goal involvements during the 2024/25 campaign, if they fail to recruit Isak as Hugo Ekitike’s promising start to life on Merseyside has made it less of a necessity for Slot to secure an out-and-out striker.’
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Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie suspects it would be “difficult to re-integrate” Isak even if the Newcastle hierarchy have a breakthrough in their talks with the Liverpool target.
Downie told Sky Sports: “The positive thinking Newcastle fans could read into this [meeting] that they are trying to come to some sort of agreement to re-integrate Alexander Isak into the first-team squad and be available to Eddie Howe going forward.
“I would suggest if he does remain a Newcastle player, he won’t be available to play against Leeds this weekend either way.
“But the more pessimistic may think perhaps it’s a meeting to work out the finality of the situations. But until we find out what happened within those four walls, all options are on the table.
“Isak would still like to move away from the club and it’s dragged on for a long time now. It would be difficult to reintegrate into the squad given the strength of feeling of the supporters.
“Some of the things I heard last night at St James’ Park and then we see the banners, I think it would be difficult to re-integrate – but if Liverpool don’t come to the table with an acceptable offer, he will remain a Newcastle player.
“What has been the case for a number of weeks now is that Newcastle are getting desperate when it comes to replacements; they tried Ekitike, they tried Sesko, they missed out on Joao Pedro and Delap. They’ve tried and failed a number of times – and if they manage to get one in, or possibly two, there’s a chance Isak may leave by the end of the transfer window.”
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