It’s all got a little bit tedious with Alexander Isak and Liverpool, hasn’t it? What promised to be the saga of the summer has turned a little bit sour, to the point where both sides are releasing statements, essentially trying to call the other’s bluff.
Will it work? Maybe. Newcastle United would need to find a centre-forward replacement who actually fancies the move up north, while Liverpool will have to get their chequebook back out and present the Magpies with an offer they can’t refuse.
Despite that, with fewer than two weeks until the summer window slams shut, will there be enough time for all of the necessary levers to be pulled? If not, Liverpool’s solution has been staring them in the face all along – the only surprise is they haven’t got the ball rolling sooner.
For casual Premier League followers, the name Ademola Lookman might send shivers down the spine. Less-than-impressive spells with Everton, Fulham and Leicester City are pretty much all Lookman is known for on these shores. At least that was until the Wandsworth-born forward captured the imagination of the football world when he netted a hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final for Atalanta.
It secured the Serie A side’s first-ever piece of European silverware and cemented Lookman’s place in the history books. Fast forward just over a year, and the Europa League final hero has been angling for a move away from Atalanta, with his eyes set on moving to a club consistently challenging for silverware.
He might not be as flashy as an Isak addition would be, but with 52 goals and 25 assists in 118 appearances for Atalanta, is that something Liverpool fans should be particularly bothered about? Lookman is 27 (turning 28 in October), meaning he’s in his prime as we speak and will be ready to make an immediate impact for the Reds this season.
That’s not all either, because Lookman has proven himself as being adept at playing anywhere across the front three, including centre-forward. Atalanta aren’t demanding a ridiculous fee to let him go and when Champions League runners-up, Inter Milan, were chasing his signature earlier this summer, it’s claimed a fee of £47m would’ve brought Atalanta to the negotiating table.
Instead, the Italian giants offered £10m less than the asking price and have subsequently been unable to get a deal over the line. With the Isak deal stalling more than a dodgy first car, perhaps now is the time for Liverpool to shift gears and put their foot on the Lookman accelerator.