Exclusive: Ben Jacobs on Liverpool’s pursuit of Isak and Ekitike

British transfer journalist Ben Jacobs has described Liverpool’s activities in the transfer window as smart and bold, as the Reds have been in talks with Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.

Jacobs also spoke to Binge Football about any potential approach or talks between Liverpool and FA Cup Champions, Crystal Palace for their striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta.

On the Alexander Isak – Hugo Ekitike tussle

“Liverpool are concurrently exploring Alexsander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. It’s a smart move. Isak is the dream target, and if Newcastle become receptive to a bid, then Richard Hughes will place one, and it will be a British transfer record package. If not, we’ll probably hear the approach was never formal or serious. There’s always a bit of rewriting if big transfers fail, to protect the club in the market (Liverpool won’t want it out there if they don’t land Isak, they have £120m to spend on a striker) and ensure other targets don’t feel like back-ups.”

Jacobs continued: “Liverpool know Newcastle prefer to keep Isak, and they can’t miss the boat on Hugo Ekitike by only focusing on the Swedish striker. That would be seen as too much of a gamble, and this approach is very normal in any transfer. Arsenal’s Andrea Berta did the same, simultaneously advancing Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko before picking who to bid for.

Liverpool are also aware that Newcastle are really pushing for Hugo Ekitike, and they won’t want to let them have a clear run without keeping in that race. It’s a strange scenario, since I lot of Liverpool fans I speak to would celebrate Newcastle getting Ekitike as a clue that perhaps Isak will be sold. I am not sure Newcastle will view it that way. They want both now, and in the long run, perhaps Ekitike is being signed because they know Isak won’t be around forever. But I still sense they would prefer to have both next season if at all possible.”

So Liverpool now want to get clarity on whether anything with Isak is possible. If given encouragement, they will bid. If not, I expect them to advance their pursuit of Ekitike.

Frankfurt would love a bidding war to get closer to their €100m asking price, so this is kind of the perfect scenario for them, while Newcastle have been trying to act fast, even flying to Germany, in order to try and agree a fee before further competition arises.

It’s still unclear how the situation will play out, but it’s obvious Liverpool haven’t given up on Isak, as revealed last month. Now we’ll have to wait and see what Richard Hughes decides. However, it plays out, I am not expecting Liverpool to wait for a Darwin Nunez exit in order to find a new No.9.

Is there any truth to Liverpool’s reported interest in Jean-Philippe Mateta?

Jacobs said, “I haven’t heard much about Jean-Philippe Mateta and Liverpool. I come back to what I said before: Liverpool has two leading targets for their new No.9 position, Alexsander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. Any other names are secondary, at least for now. Benjamin Sesko has also been discussed, and prior to his Chelsea move, Liverpool held some internal talks on João Pedro.

Mateta is not a player Palace want to lose, and I don’t see a scenario where they sanction a Mateta and Eberechi Eze exit in the same window.

I think a lot of clubs may enquire on Mateta later in the window, perhaps if they lose out on other targets, but Liverpool’s desire to add Isak or Ekitike is obvious right now. That’s where they are currently putting their time and efforts in the market, as evidenced by the approaches to both clubs in the last 48 hours.”

Read more: Liverpool in advanced talks to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike

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