Fabrizio Romano names Liverpool star who is 'expected to leave' during busy summer as replacement 'monitored'

Liverpool will be ‘in the mix’ to sign Alexander Isak in the summer transfer window, reports suggest.

The Reds will come up against the Newcastle United talisman when the two teams meet in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. Isak is enjoying a prolific season for the Magpies, having plundered 21 goals in all competitions to lead them to Wembley and battling for Champions League qualification.

Despite Liverpool running away with the Premier League title, they are expected to make additions at the end of the campaign. Arne Slot could look to bolster his forward line, with questions marks around several. Darwin Nunez has struggled for a third successive campaign at Anfield, having netted just seven goals in 39 appearances. He also missed a penalty in the Reds’ shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League earlier this week.

Nunez was the subject of interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia in January but the Reds rebuffed interest amid their bid to be crowned English champions.

In addition, Diogo Jota has struggled to hit top form in recent months amid another injury-hit season. As a result, Isak is said to be on Liverpool’s radar while Arsenal - on track to finish second in the table - are also keen.

What’s been said

It is claimed by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano that Nunez ‘will leave’ Liverpool at the end of the campaign and Isak is being considered - but will come at a premium. Romano said on his YouTube channel: “One target for sure is Alexander Isak, the priority target for Arsenal. But also Liverpool are closely monitoring the situation. So for sure, Liverpool and Arsenal will be in the mix for the player – and it really depends on Newcastle United. What they want to do in terms of eventual price, if you talk to Newcastle today they insist the player is not for sale and untouchable.”

“But when these clubs will arrive with huge, important proposals, we have to see what numbers they give them. Forget about €60,€70, €80 million.. it must be more than this to convince Newcastle. Arsenal will be there, Liverpool will be there, for Liverpool it will be a busy summer as Darwin Nunez is expected to leave the club in the summer Alexander and Isak is one of the names they have in the list.”

Slot’s plans

Liverpool could have a substantial squad revamp in the summer. Key trio Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are still to commit their future, with the trio’s respective contracts expiring in June.

Meanwhile, left-back is an area of the squad that is likely to be improved, while the Reds could make an addition in central defence. Adding cover for Ryan Gravenberch in central midfield could also be under consideration.

Slot said last month: “We are looking at every single position and we are looking at the team, and I think we’ve said this many times, last summer, we didn’t do a lot because we, Richard, me and all the other people involved, just wanted to know how these players were working with me.

“Now we have a very good idea about that. I’m not going to tell you which positions we prefer, but it is clear that we’ve assessed the squad, we’ve assessed what we think where we can improve, and that’s where we try to go for in the summer.”