Report: Where Liverpool Stand With Alexander Isak Pursuit After Nick Woltemade Deal

Liverpool are “expected” to imminently submit an improved offer for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak that would break the British transfer record for a second time this summer.

Newcastle have been reluctant to sell Isak and have endured a tense and very public stand-off with the Sweden international, who has made clear his intention to leave.

Liverpool have already had one Isak proposal turned down this summer. But with Newcastle finally on the cusp of bringing in a replacement in the shape of Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade, the complicated saga is at last being unlocked just days before the deadline.

The Times explains that Woltemade is set for a Newcastle medical after a £65 million ($87.6 million) fee was agreed between the clubs. The 23-year-old Germany international has already travelled to north east England and spent Thursday night in a hotel awaiting the final stages of his move.

Off the back of 12 Bundesliga goals last season, Woltemade was originally targeted by Bayern Munich. But no transfer materialised and Newcastle switched their attention to the towering forward after missing out on Benjamin Šeško, who joined Manchester United instead.

Nick Woltemade has become key to the summer’s biggest transfer saga. | Stefan Matzke - sampics/Getty Images

What it grants Newcastle is the cover to finally let Isak go and end a very sour few weeks. The Telegraph writes that it should pave the way for a new Liverpool bid over the weekend.

The Reds have already set a new national transfer record with the £116 million capture of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen back in June. The offer for Isak would supposedly surpass that, starting at £130 million, a sum guaranteed to Newcastle, before add-ons take it even higher.

The Magpies have always been holding out for around £150 million, which would make Isak the third most expensive player in football history—behind only Neymar and Kylian Mbappé—and could theoretically achieve it if all bonuses are triggered.

Liverpool’s summer spending on eight first-team signings is already at £321 million and could reach as much as £470 million with Isak also on board. That aggressive splurge has been made possible without PSR implications by smart selling to the tune of £228 million, a frugal transfer window last summer, healthy revenue streams from Premier League prize money and new commercial deals.