Liverpool have not given up on signing Alexander Isak and are prepared to submit a second offer should Newcastle make progress in securing the striker’s replacement, according to the Daily Mail.
The Premier League champions had a formal £110 million bid rejected by Newcastle on Friday, sparking reports from Merseyside that Liverpool would not return with another offer.
However, this is not the case.
As Newcastle push forward with deals for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, Liverpool anticipate making a much-improved bid.
The Reds are aware it would be futile to proceed while Newcastle await Sesko’s decision, as the 22-year-old has yet to communicate his preferred destination. Manchester United is also interested in Sesko.
Newcastle made a £65.5million offer for the Slovenian on Saturday, which could rise to £70million including add-ons.
Leipzig will likely wait for Sesko’s preference before entering further negotiations with either club.
Meanwhile, confidence remains high that Wissa’s move from Brentford will be completed once the London club find their own replacement.
Should these dominoes fall into place, Liverpool plan to return with a British-record offer for Isak.
They have been informed that the transfer fee may need to approach £150million for Newcastle to agree.
Newcastle’s pursuit of players like Sesko suggests the club are preparing for the possibility of Isak’s departure.
The 25-year-old Swede was returning to Newcastle on Saturday after spending the previous week training at his former club Real Sociedad’s facilities, alongside his agent, as they continue to push for a move to Liverpool.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe revealed in Seoul that he only learned of Isak’s presence in Spain through media reports, describing the situation as “far from ideal.”
Isak pulled out of Newcastle’s Far East tour due to a reported thigh injury.
For now, Newcastle expect Isak to return to training with his teammates next week, despite the apparent lack of club approval for his trip to San Sebastián.
“I know where he is, really, through the media,” Howe said.
“From that perspective, it’s difficult for me to go into any kind of detail. The situation is far from ideal and is quite complex.”
Regarding Liverpool’s initial offer, Howe added: “I was made aware of a bid on Friday, and that bid was turned down – all before I had even heard about it. People back in England are dealing with the situation.
“I don’t know what happens next. From our perspective, we still support Alex in every way, and my wish is that we see him in a Newcastle shirt again.”
He added: “It’s difficult, because you don’t know what is going to happen from this point. We can only deal with the reality.
“The reality is we had a first bid from Liverpool, and I believe that was turned down. From this point onwards, let’s see what happens.”
“In terms of trying to upset players and all that kind of stuff, from my perspective, we can only talk about our conduct. We try to do things in the right way.
“Signing players is always complex. We just try to do what we think is right. I can’t talk about other clubs – that’s not for me to say.”
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