One of the most dramatic and long-winded transfer sagas in recent memory appears to have finally come to an end.
Liverpool is set to land highly sought-after striker Alexander Isak for a Premier League record fee of £130 million (CAD$241.2 million), multiple sources reported Sunday night.
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Isak will undergo a medical on Monday — the final day of the Premier League’s transfer window — before the move is completed.
The negotiations between the two sides had been the at-large topic this summer, with Newcastle not wanting to move on from its star striker, but Isak making it clear that he desired a move away from the club, and more specifically, to Liverpool.
Ornstein reported on Aug. 1 that Liverpool submitted a bid to Newcastle for £110 million (CAD$204.1 million) and that the side was willing to reach £120 million (CAD$222.7 million).
Isak’s unwillingness to remain at Newcastle escalated tensions between the club and player, as he was absent from the team throughout the off-season, pre-season and hasn’t appeared on the teamsheet through the first three weeks of the Premier League season.
However, the side’s situation up front changed over the weekend after they landed German striker Nick Woltemade for £65 million (CAD$120.6 million) from Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.
Earlier in the summer, the Magpies were interested in former Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike, but Liverpool beat them to the punch.
For the Reds, who have started the EPL season perfectly at 3-0 after a win Sunday against Arsenal, it marks another massive expenditure in what’s become an expensive summer for the reigning champions.
So far, they’ve added Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Geovanni Leoni for a combined CAD$517.3 million.
Kommentoi