Alexander Isak’s potential move has taken a dramatic turn in the past couple of days, with Liverpool now emerging as strong favourites to sign the Swedish forward ahead of the 2025–26 season.
The striker’s reported desire to leave Newcastle United has stirred significant reactions throughout the English football community, and should he end up joining Liverpool, the situation is only expected to gain more attention.
Liverpool have maintained a long-standing interest in Isak, though until recently, there hadn’t been a viable opportunity to secure his services.
That situation appears to be shifting, with Isak now said to be actively pursuing an exit from Newcastle. In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, football pundit and former player Stan Collymore weighed in on the situation. According to Collymore, if Isak does make a move this summer, Anfield is likely to be his destination.
Collymore believes that Isak’s exit has been in the works for quite some time—possibly over the past year. He explained that Newcastle may have anticipated interest in the striker would arise in the following season, but Isak’s current push for a move has brought that timeline forward.
He added that while some supporters would prefer to see the player sold to a club outside of England, such decisions aren’t solely in the hands of the clubs. If a player is determined to join a particular club and is willing to reduce his efforts to force a transfer, it becomes extremely difficult for the selling club to resist.
The former striker also pointed out that this tactic isn’t unique to players. Clubs often make their intentions known far in advance, sometimes years ahead, by engaging positively with a player’s representatives. These pre-planned moves are all part of the modern football transfer system.
Collymore also touched on a broader theme: the increasing emphasis on attacking depth among the Premier League’s top clubs.
With the sheer volume of goals being scored in the league, elite teams are prioritising their forward lines. He noted that if Liverpool succeed in signing Isak, they would join a trend of major clubs being heavily stocked in offensive talent. With names like Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike already at the club, Isak’s arrival would only strengthen that department.
Finally, Collymore suggested that Liverpool’s ownership group, FSG, have recognised the need to match the financial commitment of rivals like Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United. If the club wants to remain competitive both domestically and in Europe, they must continue investing heavily, especially in attacking reinforcements.
