Liverpool have entered the 2025/26 campaign with a weight of expectation that was not there when Arne Slot led the Reds out for the first time one year ago.
The 2024/25 Premier League champions have won both their opening league fixtures this season, though four goals shipped and late winners required against Bournemouth and Newcastle United have shown that there is plenty of room for improvement for Slot's side.
Wirtz-Liverpool-Premier-League
As the summer transfer window reaches the final stretch, clubs throughout the Premier League and all over Europe will scramble to wrap up deals that have dragged on and on.
And Liverpool are no different. Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi remains a top target for the Reds, with talks said to be ongoing on that front.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi during the warm up before the match
But there's one man above all others who is locked in sporting director Richard Hughes' sights.
Liverpool reach agreement for top target
There is little question that Liverpool's priority as we enter this last lap of the transfer circuit remains the signing of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.
Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal-1
The Magpies have floundered all summer, and still haven't been able to land a new number nine. A second bid from FSG, having seen a £110m offer rejected at the start of August, will only come after encouragement from Tyneside, and that has yet to happen.
Even so, Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg has confirmed that Liverpool have reached an agreement with the Sweden international on personal terms, and they are "waiting patiently" to finalise the deal.
PIF officials tried to convince the 25-year-old to stay in the wake of Liverpool's win at St. James' Park, but Isak's stance is the same.
It would take a mammoth fee to prise the goalscorer away from Eddie Howe's side, with Newcastle still maintaining he is worth £150m.
What Alexander Isak would bring to Liverpool
What would Isak bring to Liverpool? Goals, and goals aplenty at that.
The rangy centre-forward scored 27 times for Newcastle across all competitions last season, netting against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final and finishing behind only Mohamed Salah in the Premier League scoring charts.
Top scorers 2024-25 Premier League (timeless)
Hailed by Jamie Carragher as being "the best striker in the Premier League " for his efforts across the recent campaign - certainly, he was the most complete, the most effective from his all-round berth - Isak would be a stunning addition to a Liverpool side already boasting so much firepower and attacking quality.
Not only a destructive finisher, the £120k-per-week Magpie has mastered the art of link-up play, so fast and dynamic as he shifts about the frontline, and it's been evident from the beginning, with journalist David Cartlidge remarking that his all-encompassing game made him "unplayable" way back in 2022, when he plied his craft for Real Sociedad in Spain.
The 6 foot 3 Isak's tall frame, strong physicality and quality in working into wider attacking berths suggest he could mirror Gakpo at Liverpool, even though the Dutchman is more of a natural wide forward.
Gakpo vs Isak (past 365 days)
Stats (per 90)
Goals
Assists
Shots taken
Shot-creating actions
Pass completion
Touches (att pen)
Progressive passes
Progressive carries
Successful take-ons
Data via FBref
Gakpo offers a bit more by way of creative output than Isak, but he arcs into the box with a regularity that evades most wide-placed forwards.
However, both attackers are crisp in possession, comparatively active in their progressive passing play, and able and effective ball carriers, both successfully taking on their man with the same consistency.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Against Bournemouth on the opening day of the season, Gakpo showcased his completeness, getting on the scoresheet and making a series of key passes, winning an abundance of duels.
Cody Gakpo vs Bournemouth
Cody Gakpo vs Bournemouth
Gakpo's running style and ability to take on opponents might lend themselves to a fixed role on the left flank, but Isak has also demonstrated in the past a skill when shifting out wide.
Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope even remarked that the Sweden international was "like a wizard" when zipping down the left flank and setting up a goal extraordinarily against Everton in 2023.
Of course, there's also the element that Isak has plied his trade in the Dutch Eredivisie in the past, actually first establishing himself as a prolific goalscorer when on loan at Willem II in 2018/19, scoring 14 goals across 18 appearances.
Liverpool signed Gakpo directly from the Dutch scene in January 2023, landing PSV Eindhoven's superstar following his limelight-stealing performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, bagging in each of Oranje's group stage outings.
Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal
It might have taken the 25-year-old a bit of time to adapt to the English game and truly click into gear, as he has in Slot's system, having been hailed by pundit Peter Crouch as having "gone up a level", but Gakpo is now an integral part of Liverpool's success, especially now that Luis Diaz has been sold to Bayern Munich.
However, Isak has already equipped three years' worth of experience on his belt, and could feasibly be expected to hit the ground running and lead Liverpool to trophy-winning success over the coming season - and beyond.
Given that the Newcastle star has the Premier League qualities and a Gakpo-esque style in the final third, there's every chance that he could prove a bona fide success for Liverpool, providing the cream at the end of an incredible transfer window.