Report: Newcastle already looking towards life after Isak in potential transfer boost for Liverpool | OneFootball

Alexander Isak will be at Anfield on Wednesday night in the colours of Newcastle, but will he be a Liverpool player in next season’s edition of that fixture?

The Swedish hitman has been one of the standout players of the current Premier League campaign, with his 19-goal haul placing him joint-second in the Golden Boot standings alongside Erling Haaland and inferior only to the peerless Mo Salah.

Along with Arsenal, the Reds have been strongly linked with the prolific 25-year-old of late (The Mirror), and a fresh report has pointed towards a potential boost to LFC’s hopes of luring him from St James’ Park.

Newcastle already lining up Isak replacement

According to CaughtOffside on Tuesday morning, Newcastle have already identified the striker that they want to replace Isak if they are compelled to cash in on the Sweden international in order to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

The Magpies are reportedly looking towards Eintracht Frankfurt marksman Hugo Ekitike as the successor to their current number 14, having also held an interest in the Frenchman when he was at Paris Saint-Germain in the past.

The Tynesiders are understood to value their top scorer at an eye-watering £150m, which’d preclude all but a very select band of clubs from being able to afford him.

(Photo by Leonhard Simon/Getty Images)

Could Newcastle be forced to cash in on Isak?

Although Newcastle’s reported pursuit of Ekitike doesn’t automatically mean that Isak is on his way out of St James’ Park, it’s difficult not to put two and two together when such rumours are so intense, particularly given the spectre of PSR.

The notion of Liverpool spending £150m on one player seems fanciful when their current transfer record stands at £85m (including add-ons) for Darwin Nunez, who ironically could be the fall guy if the Reds were to sign the Swedish goal-poacher.

However, if the Tyneside club are left with no viable option but to sell the 25-year-old – especially if they don’t qualify for the Champions League – Richard Hughes might yet be able to negotiate a less gargantuan fee for the former Real Sociedad man, who’s been endorsed by a legendary LFC centre-forward in Robbie Fowler.

With Isak hoping to score at Anfield for a third successive visit tomorrow night – and a return of seven league goals since the start of January showing that he’s a striker in form – it’s no wonder that the Reds are reportedly so keen to pluck him from their top-flight rivals.

Newcastle are unlikely to secure a deal for Ekitike without selling a couple of prized assets first, and right now there’s nobody more lucrative at St James’ Park than the man in the number 14 shirt. That won’t be lost in the Liverpool hierarchy.