Better than Isak & Ekitike: Liverpool make £142m "monster" a dream target
If Liverpool aren’t already favourites to retain their Premier League title after signing Florian Wirtz for a British record transfer fee of £116m, then they certainly would be if they signed Alexander Isak.
Plenty of teams around the globe have dreamed of bringing the Swede to their club and the Anfield outfit could well make that a reality this summer.
Boy, what a signing this would be. Isak scored 27 goals in all competitions last term. He netted 23 in the Premier League. The only man with more was Liverpool hero, Mo Salah.
So, the Newcastle United forward is a pretty special talent and it’s understandable that the Toon have no desire to let him depart St James’ Park this summer.
Still, Liverpool are trying and they’re willing to put a lot of money on the table to bring him further south to Merseyside.
The latest on Alexander Isak to Liverpool
While Liverpool have dreamt of signing Isak all summer long, they haven’t made their intentions clear until this week.
Indeed, the Athletic’s David Ornstein dropped a seismic piece of news earlier in the week that the league winners have made an approach, but no formal offer just yet, to sign Isak. The Magpies have reiterated that he is not for sale, that’s despite Liverpool suggesting they are willing to pay around £120m for his services.
That being said, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has suggested that “every player has their price” and Newcastle could be brought to the negotiating table if a £150m bid is made.
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Whether the Reds have what it takes to put that sort of money out there after breaking their transfer record once this summer already remains to be seen.
With such money involved, a move does feel unlikely. It’s why they are courting alternatives.
Liverpool's two best Isak alternatives
The main striker on the radar of the recruitment team at the moment is Hugo Ekitike. However, like the Isak situation, it’s a tricky situation. That’s because Newcastle are embroiled in this saga as well.
News broke at the beginning of the week that Newcastle are working on a deal to sign the Frenchman from Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. Yet, he’s also a player that Liverpool like.
Ornstein again revealed on Wednesday that the Merseysiders have made contact with the Bundesliga club regarding a move.
Fabrizio Romano has already indicated that if Newcastle don’t sell Isak then they will aim to steal the Toon’s number one target away from them. Well, the wheels are in motion on that move already, with Romano revealing on Thursday that a bid has now been submitted to sign the Frankfurt striker.
Liverpool have other players on their radar, perhaps most notably Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. The most exciting name is Julian Alvarez.
A report from Spain earlier in the window indicated that Liverpool were prepared to pay around £142m for the Atletico Madrid forward and now Anfield Watch reporter Bence Bocsak has revealed that the Argentine is still on their ‘radar’.
He suggests that Alvarez is a ‘dream option’, but like Isak, it’s unlikely Atleti will sanction a sale just one year after bringing him to Spain from Manchester City.
How Alvarez compares to Isak and Ekitike
Isak would be a remarkable coup for Liverpool if they could get a deal over the line. He’s one of the best strikers around the globe and has proven over the last two campaigns that he can score goals at a regular rate in the Premier League.
Ekitike, by comparison, clearly has lots of potential. He’s already been described as “the next Mbappe” in some quarters but rather like Darwin Nunez, he’s a raw talent, someone who still needs to refine his game.
What’s Alvarez like? Well, he’s proven, not just on the continent now with Atleti but also in the Premier League, where he won trophy after trophy with Manchester City.
He’s also the complete package, cut from a similar cloth as Roberto Firmino. This is not just a goalscorer. He’s a creator, a facilitator, and someone who could thrive just as Firmino did with the likes of Salah and Cody Gakpo either side. Dare we say, it could even be with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo to one side? Liverpool are currently leading the race for the Brazilian, according to reports, but that’s a story for another day.
Described as a “monster” by Argentine journalist Pablo Gonzalez and remarkably as “the best forward in the world” by reporter Roy Nemer, he ended his debut campaign in the Spanish capital having scored 29 goals, two more than Isak, and he also registered eight assists.
Let’s also cast your mind back to his final term at the Eithad. During 2023/24, he was prolific in front of goal, bagging 19 goals and registering 14 assists. This is a player who does a lot of things right.
Goals
0.49
0.79
Assists
0.21
0.14
Shots
2.90
3.00
Pass success %
78%
77%
Key passes
1.88
1.22
Progressive passes
3.40
2.85
Shot-creating actions
3.94
2.94
Progressive carries
2.50
2.71
Analysing the numbers deeper across the last two seasons, we get a sense for what Isak and Alvarez do well, but primarily from the metrics assessed, where the Argentine superstar thrives in comparison.
The Swede is clearly more prolific per 90 minutes as far as goals are concerned but Alvarez offers the ability to create, registering more key passes, progressive passes and producing an extra shot-creating action every 90 minutes.
That means that even if he doesn’t score quite as many goals, he’s remaining a big threat in the final third and would provide that Firmino-like ability to make things happen in Slot’s attack.
Isak is the dream but here us out, Alvarez has his perks too. His overall game is certainly better, that’s for sure.
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