Liverpool's three options should they fail to sign Alexander Isak
RODRYGO-ING TO LIVERPOOL?: Rodrygo of Real Madrid has been linked with a move to Liverpool. Pic: Fran Santiago/Getty Images.
The Alexander Isak transfer saga continues to rumble on.
Will he go to Liverpool? Will he stay at Newcastle United? Who knows.
Our guess is as good as yours but we have decided to assess the alternatives the Premier League champions may look at should they fail to land the talented striker in this transfer window.
The fear for most, if not all Liverpool fans is that if the Reds fail to land Alexander Isak this summer, they won’t sign another attacker.
Liverpool have shown in the past that they are willing to wait to land their first-choice target rather than moving down the list of the next best options, which certainly worked with Virgil van Dijk, whom they wanted to sign in the summer of 2017 but were forced to wait until January 2018 due to talks with Southampton turning sour.
And while there is no doubt Isak will leave Newcastle, whether it happens in this window, in January or next summer remains to be seen.
But given that the Premier League champions have sold Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, along with the tragic loss of Diogo Jota, and have so far only added the promising Hugo Ekitike to their attack, they could do with signing another forward, should Isak not join before this window closes.
And in his column for the Telegraph on Friday, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher agrees.
"Slot will not defend the crown with only three out-and-out attackers of Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike.
"They cannot carry the goalscoring burden without at least one more, preferably two, top-class operators across the front line, especially as Salah will be on Africa Cup of Nations duty in December.
"Liverpool must be ruthless. It cannot be 'Isak or no one'”.
Manchester City fans may not like this suggestion, but their former frontman – a two-time Premier League winner, who also helped the Citizens land the FA Cup and a first-ever Champions League – would be an ideal fit for Arne Slot’s side.
Rumour season is reaching its peak and there are murmurs in Spain that Alvarez is not happy in the capital.
The Argentine World Cup winner scored a sensational free-kick in Atletico’s opening day defeat to Espanyol but with manager Diego Simeone chasing the game, the 25-year-old was taken off and watched the closing stages from the bench.
It is also believed that Liverpool were interested in signing him last season and having scored 29 goals in all competitions during the 2024/25 campaign, that interest surely remains.
It’s hard to believe he’s still only 24, given what he has already achieved during his time at Real Madrid.
A few weeks after Real defeated Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final, they agreed a reported fee of €45 million with Santos for the talented young Brazilian, who would officially make the move a year later.
Since then, Rodrygo has won two Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey but following Kylian Mbappe’s arrival last year and Xabi Alonso’s arrival in the dugout this summer, the attacker has fallen down the pecking order.
Reds boss Arne Slot is known to be fluid with his formation and with Ekitike showing his quality through the middle, along with Chiesa perhaps ready to provide cover in more of a central role this term, maybe the experienced winger, who is yet to reach his peak, could be an option.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
