Record Florian Wirtz transfer could be instantly eclipsed as Liverpool target £140m Prem star next

Record Florian Wirtz transfer could be instantly eclipsed as Liverpool target £140m Prem star next

Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz is to sign for Liverpool this summer

Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz is to sign for Liverpool this summer

Liverpool cannot yet be completely discounted from making another jaw-dropping transfer move this summer, with a respected journalist opening the Reds gateway to a possible move for Alexander Isak and having named the price that could convince Newcastle to sell.

The Reds are on the cusp of shattering the British transfer record for Florian Wirtz after weeks of talks with Bayer Leverkusen. While offers one, two and three were rebutted by the Bundesliga side, offer number four did do the trick, and the formalities of the record-breaking move should be finalised by Friday of this week. To that end, Liverpool have agreed a package worth up to £119.2m (€140m, $162m) if all bonuses are met.

That fee will narrowly eclipse the package Chelsea agreed with Brighton for Moises Caicedo two summers ago, though Wirtz’s status as the most costly British signing of all time could be a brief one if a new update is to be believed.

And with manager Arne Slot still hell-bent on adding another striker to his squad this summer, the Reds have been linked with a number of big-name options.

To that end, Fabrizio Romano has this week confirmed ‘concrete’ Liverpool interest in Hugo Ekitike, while our man, Rudy Galetti, reckons a possible move for Victor Osimhen is also possible with the Reds due to offer Napoli two players as part of a lucrative swap.

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However, the Daily Mail’s Merseyside-based correspondent, Lewis Steele, believes a new approach to try and prise Isak from Newcastle cannot be completely ruled out this summer.

And while Steele, who reported accurately and quickly on the Reds’ pursuit for Wirtz, admits any raid on St James’ Park would be tough, he is not completely convinced the Reds will not try and beat their own record-breaking exploits this summer.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Steele stated: “What we can say is that Newcastle don’t want to sell him for cheap. I’d say it’d have to be, let’s say a ballpark figure of £130m-£140m.

“Are Liverpool realistically gonna pay that in a summer where they’ve signed Florian Wirtz? It’s hard to see, but I wouldn’t completely rule it out.”

Newcastle stance on Alexander Isak sale revealed

While sources have confirmed to us that Isak is indeed Liverpool’s number one striker target, it’s widely accepted at Anfield that a deal to prise the player away from Newcastle will be almost next to impossible.

Manager Eddie Howe has made no secret of his desire to retain his star man’s services and while efforts to the tie the 52-cap Sweden international down to a new deal have so far failed to bear fruit, the striker is known to be happy on Tyneside with sources confirming he is not agitating for a move away.

The Magpies’ participation in next season’s Champions League – a competition which the player wants to regularly be a part of – is only seen as a decisive factor in Newcastle’s favour.

However, should they fail to tie him to a new deal across the course of the 2025/26 campaign, then the possibility of Isak being lured away is something that would be taken seriously come next summer

With two years left on his deal by that stage, Newcastle would find their resolve in resisting monumental offers potentially too good to turn down.

Despite all that, the Magpies remain fully focused on securing their star man to a new deal.

BBC Sports journalist Sami Mokbel is also not ruling out a possible future move away from St James’ for Isak.

“It is my information that Isak would be intrigued by the prospect of joining say Liverpool or Arsenal, but there are absolutely no indications that the Swede would actively agitate a move,” Mokbel said in a Q&A.

“If there is any chance Isak goes, and I think those chances are remotely slim, it would be on Newcastle’s terms – and they would be astronomical terms. Their stance may be weakened slightly if they miss out on Champions League football this season but even then, it’s hard to see a scenario in which Isak goes.”