
Things are moving apace. Liverpool have already replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold with Jeremie Frimpong and are advancing with deals for Florian Wirtz and Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez.
Talk about a show of intent. Talk about ambition. FSG have faced their criticisms across their time at the head of the Liverpool table, but the American owners are backing Arne Slot to the hilt this summer after the Dutch coach secured a Premier League title in his first term at the helm.
With a much-anticipated move for Wirtz, which could rise to a British-record £116m, set to be finalised in the coming days, hopes are morphing into expectations that the Reds will be right there in the title battle next season, throwing the heaviest punches and swerving the blows from Arsenal, Manchester City and the like.
What, then, should be Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes’ next move in the transfer market? Well, for all Anfield’s impressive dealings, the glaring point of contention still hasn’t been addressed: Liverpool need to part with Darwin Nunez and bring in a new number nine.
Why Liverpool need to sell Darwin Nunez
As far as statement signings go, Liverpool usually hit the nail on the head. However, Nunez has proven to be a blot on the copybook, never living up to the fixed £64m fee and actually regressing under Slot’s jurisdiction.
Darwin Nunez’s Liverpool Career (all comps) |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Season |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
24/25 |
47 |
7 |
7 |
23/24 |
54 |
18 |
15 |
22/23 |
42 |
15 |
4 |
Data via Transfermarkt |
Back in February, Slot stated he “can’t accept” Nunez’s work rate following a slew of games which had turned little personal reward for the Uruguayan. Previous versions of the 25-year-old invariably provided a tenacious
A maverick, Nunez is powerful and instinctive, but consistent finishing has always eluded him throughout his time on Merseyside, and if it were not for Mohamed Salah’s extraordinary 2024/25 campaign, the striker’s woes might have been hung under a brighter, more blinding light.
Salah scored 34 goals and assisted 23 more across all competitions last season. Extraordinary. The Egyptian King turned 33 this month, though, and needs a more reliable frontman to keep him performing at his peak.
Well, Liverpool are acting with ambition, hoping to sign a star who might just prove to elevate the legend. Who knows, he may even surpass Salah’s greatness.
Liverpool line up new striker
According to Ben Jacobs for GIVEMESPORT, Liverpool are ready to place a record-breaking bid for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak this summer.
Liverpool’s current interest in the Sweden striker can be traced back to the start of March, when The Athletic’s David Ornstein confirmed the Reds had him at the top of their shopping list.
The Magpies, who won the Carabao Cup and qualified for the Champions League last term, would want north of £150m for Isak, but GMS claim FSG would be willing to offer £100m plus add-ons, which would eclipse the fee agreed for Wirtz.
How Isak could surpass Salah at Liverpool
Liverpool need a striker, all right, and Isak is their dream target. If sporting director Richard Hughes could pick any number nine across the globe, this is the man he’d move for.
Coming off the back of a 27-goal campaign with Newcastle, Isak, who has been hailed as “the best striker in the world” by analyst Raj Chohan, could be the most incredible addition to a Liverpool side already jam-packed with attacking quality.
Isak’s prowess, always improving, could even see him become a goalscoring machine under Slot’s wing above that of Salah, whose 34-goal season was frankly ridiculous.
Alexander Isak – Past Five Seasons (all comps) |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Season |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
24/25 – Newcastle |
42 |
27 |
6 |
23/24 – Newcastle |
40 |
25 |
2 |
22/23 – Newcastle |
29 |
11 |
3 |
21/22 – Sociedad |
41 |
10 |
3 |
20/21 – Sociedad |
44 |
17 |
2 |
Data via Transfermarkt |
Moreover, his unique approach to the attacking game could see him reach that pedestal on which Salah perches, surmounted above the rest of the Premier League’s attacking talent.
As per FBref, he ranked among the top 16% of strikers last season for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
This protean attacking quality could see him join the likes of Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres as one of the most complete and electric number nines the Premier League has ever seen.
Would this make him a more dangerous forward than Salah? Who knows, but Isak definitely has the perfect style to dovetail into Slot’s system and bring a new level of direct goalscoring threat.
And it must be said, Liverpool have certainly felt the force of the Sweden striker’s skills, Isak having scored a stunning goal against them at St. James’ Park last year before bagging in the Carabao Cup final, a strike which proved definitive.
But it’s not just his goalscoring. Isak has the capacity to outstrip even Salah’s ridiculous goal per game rate at Liverpool (0.61), with his Newcastle average currently at 0.57.
As he continues to go from strength to strength, Isak could hit a truly staggering flow, especially given that he would be playing among some of the best in the business (including Salah, whose playmaking has hit another level over the past couple of years).
Whether Isak would finish a potential Liverpool career with a greater legacy than Salah is tantamount to splitting hairs. In all likelihood, he’d fail on that front, for Salah has transcended pure quality on the field to immortalise himself in Liverpool lore.
However, Isak’s ability to score is a special thing – pundit Alan Shearer has described him as a “world-class assassin” – and if signed to the Liverpool cause and allowed to foster relationships with Salah and Wirtz, his goalscoring record could form something not witnessed on Merseyside.

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