Is Liverpool ready to pull the trigger on a £250m blockbuster?

The Newcastle squad flew to Singapore on Thursday (July 24) to begin their pre-season tour. However, Alexander Isak did not join and decided to stay in the north-east English city, waiting to leave before the transfer window closes on September 1.

Despite wanting to keep the striker, who has scored 62 goals in 109 games for the club, Newcastle have no choice but to wait for a serious offer from potential suitors. And they will not begin negotiations for anything less than £150m, which would make the Swede the third most expensive player in history, behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

To complete the deal, the total cost for a club would not stop at £150m. It would rise to £171m when the agent’s commission is included, and rise further if the 4% transfer tax is included. If Isak receives between £250,000 and £300,000 a week for a five-year contract, plus performance-related bonuses, the total cost could well reach £250m.

Alexander Isak could cost a club up to £250m.

There are only a few clubs in the world with the financial capacity to satisfy Newcastle's demands to own Isak. They are Bayern, PSG and Real. However, these teams have other priorities, and are not interested in pursuing Isak.

The 25-year-old's likely destination remains England. But it won't be Arsenal, who have just agreed a deal to sign Viktor Gyokeres, or Tottenham and Manchester United, who are cash-strapped. Nor will Manchester City and Chelsea, after a summer of heavy spending, including a number of new faces in attack.

In the end, only Liverpool remained. Despite the signing of Hugo Ekitike, taking their total spending this summer to nearly £300m, the Premier League champions have always had an interest in Isak, who is also keen on joining Anfield.

Liverpool are having a hot summer with nearly £300m spent.

While many clubs are struggling to meet the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules, Liverpool are reaping the rewards of years of careful spending. The Reds have broken club records for commercial and matchday revenue every year since 2010, while also benefiting from their success on the pitch. But they have always been careful not to overspend, and to strike a balance between buying and selling.

This gives them a lot of cash and a large PSR space. Even this summer, despite spending a huge amount of money, Liverpool did not pay all at once but in several installments, and at the same time expected to earn a significant amount from selling players. They have planned to sell Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott, and will certainly be more determined if they activate the blockbuster named Isak.

Coach Arne Slot and his players are currently in Hong Kong (China) for their Asian tour, but many senior leaders, including sporting director Richard Hughes and members of the medical team, remain in the UK to complete the Ekitike deal. They will also be happy to implement the contract worth a total of 250 million pounds.