Isak still to settle the summer battle of the strikers

Which Premier League club has got the best deal for a forward? It will eventually be Liverpool

FORWARD THINKING: Clockwise from top left: Benjamin Sesko (Man Utd), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool), Joao Pedro (Chelsea). Inset: Alexander Isak (Newcastle). Irish Examiner Graphics, Photos: Getty

WHEN - not if - Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy in nine months' time thanks in large part to the goals of Alexander Isak, Arne Slot will no doubt recall the unlikely barney over a barbecue that will have played such a significant role in their back-to-back titles.

If there was ever any doubt as to the frankly priceless value of that one player who has an extraordinary knack of putting the ball in the back of the opposition's net, then look no further than the Isak soap opera at Newcastle.