Liverpool agree to a £130m Alexander Isak fee with Newcastle United

Liverpool have reached an agreement with Newcastle United to sign Alexander Isak for a deal worth £130 million, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The deal is set to become a new Premier League transfer record, surpassing Chelsea’s £106m signing of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January 2023.

It also surpasses Florian Wirtz’s transfer fee from Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer, with a total package of £116m, with an initial fee of £100m and £16m in potential bonuses.

Isak joined Newcastle in the summer of 2022 from Real Sociedad on a six-year contract which runs until June 2028, making him the club’s then transfer record.

The 25-year-old has played 109 times for the Magpies, scoring 62 times and providing 11 assists in his three-season stay at St James’ Park.

He scored 23 goals, assisting six times in 34 Premier League appearances last season for Eddie Howe’s side, finishing behind Mohammad Salah in the PL goalscoring charts.

Liverpool saw an £110m bid for Isak turned down earlier this summer, having previously indicated their willingness to do a deal for £120m, but Newcastle were reluctant to sell.

The Swedish striker stated his clear desire to leave Northeastern England as he sat out of Newcastle’s opening three games of the season and has been away from the rest of the squad since July.

He further went public, releasing a statement claiming “promises had been broken” by Newcastle and “the relationship can’t continue.”

The Magpies have secured the signature of Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart for a club-record £64m fee.

They have also been turned down by Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers for Yoane Wissa (£35m) and Jorgen Strand Larsen (£50m and £55m), respectively, this summer.

Newcastle will now turn their attention to signing a replacement for the Sweden international and are believed to have re-engaged with Chelsea over a potential deal for Nicolas Jackson, who had a failed loan transfer to Bayern Munich, but he is not the only target under consideration.

Liverpool have spent more than £250m this summer, with Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni all arriving on Merseyside.

They have opened their title defence with three wins, beating Bournemouth on opening day, Newcastle and Arsenal before the international break.