Hughes leading Liverpool bid for £120k-p/w “wizard”

It’s unlikely that this is the new normal for Liverpool, all this staggering summer spending.

It was always anticipated to be a statement transfer market from the Reds, with Arne Slot revealing while the 2024/25 campaign was in full swing that Liverpool, who won the Premier League with such gusto, were ready to seal a series of exciting signings after minimal first-team investment across four successive windows.

But even having welcomed some of Europe’s most talented up-and-coming players to Slot’s squad, Liverpool find themselves in need of more investment.

Indeed, with Darwin Nunez on the verge of completing a £46m transfer to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League and Luis Diaz already twisting ankles down the wing for Bayern Munich, it’s clear that FSG’s hope is to welcome another dynamic forward to the fold.

Liverpool interested in new forwards

With Diaz having joined Bayern for £65.5m, Cody Gakpo is left as the only senior option on the left flank. Fans have been treated to the exciting prospect that is Rio Nguomha, but the lad is only 16 and must be eased into Slot’s plans.

Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has been touted as a potential option, but The Athletic’s James Pearce sought to dispel such claims toward the end of July, saying the Brazilian is “currently not viewed as a possible replacement” for Diaz.

There is, however, a long-standing interest in Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, 22, who is valued at €100m (around £87m) and would be a like-for-like replacement on the left flank, with plenty of scope for growth.

Barcola is a talented player, but he’s not the finished article. If Liverpool have the choice of one more forward this summer, it’s clear who sporting director Richard Hughes covets.

Liverpool pushing for priority target

According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool remain focused on signing Newcastle United centre-forward Alexander Isak this summer, having seen a £110m offer rejected earlier in August.

Plettenberg understands that the rumours relating to Barcola are merely a smokescreen as the Merseysiders forge ahead with a British-record bid for Isak. Newcastle appear increasingly resigned to selling their talisman, but want in excess of £130m.

Isak only wants to leave St. James’ Park for Liverpool, but everything hinges on the Magpies succeeding in finding a replacement, and that has been a fruitless pursuit thus far.

Why Liverpool want to sign Alexander Isak

If Liverpool fail in their pursuit of Isak this summer, it’s unlikely that Hughes would oversee the fallback to another number nine. That is how highly regarded the Sweden star is at Anfield. It’s him, or it’s nothing.

Well, not nothing. Were Liverpool to fail in their bid, Hughes would swivel his attention to the likes of Barcola or Rodrygo, for Slot needs another forward to complete his attacking set and attack the campaign across numerous fronts.

And in Isak, who scored 27 goals and claimed six assists across 43 matches last season, en route to the Carabao Cup title, which he won against Liverpool at Wembley, Liverpool would have “the best all-around centre forward in the league”, as he has been called by pundit Ally McCoist.

Liverpool pulled off a stunning signing when adding Hugo Ekitike to Slot’s squad in an initial £69m package, but the Frenchman is not yet at the peak of his powers, whereas Isak is. The Scandinavian goalscorer would prove the perfect signing for Liverpool, certainly surpassing Barcola, even if the PSG talent is already regarded as “one of the best left wingers in Europe” by analyst Ben Mattinson.

Barcola might have posted 21 goals and 21 assists across all competitions last season, winning the quadruple in PSG’s project, but he also produced some underlying data that left something to be desired, only winning 28% of his duels in Ligue 1, as per Sofascore.

Isak, meanwhile, is proven as one of the Premier League’s deadliest players, and Liverpool would be sure that they would receive bang for their buck when forking out a shedload.

Gakpo already sits on the left wing, but Isak has played out wide before, and to an emphatic effect at that. Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope even described him as a “wizard” in the past after one incredible assist against Everton, collecting and driving up the flank.

Ekitike, too, is a man of swift mobility, and there’s no reason why the respective strikers could not operate in confluence under Slot’s wing this season.

Barcola, of course, would be a fantastic addition, but he’s not Isak, and if Hughes has only one route that he can travel down, it’s patent that Isak is his priority, and indeed that that is the right track to head down.

The Newcastle star, after all, ranks among the top 16% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, emphasising his all-encompassing quality.

Whether Liverpool manage to get a deal done remains to be seen. The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards believes the £120k-per-week Isak has been told by PIF that he’s going nowhere, but it is hard to see the credence in such claims, given all that has gone on.

In any case, the player wants Liverpool, and if Hughes and Slot have one more signing to pull off this summer, Isak is the one.