Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insisted that the Reds will not hesitate to strike with further additions in the summer transfer market.
Never in the Anfield side’s history has there been such a cascade of first-team signings across a single summer window, but then Liverpool won the Premier League last season and have the financial means to package Slot’s squad with exciting additions.
The thought of Mohamed Salah combining with the likes of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, previously two of the German Bundesliga’s brightest talents, over the next few years is quite a thing.
And more may yet be added to the ranks.
However, Luis Diaz has been sold to Bayern Munich for a £65.5m fee, and that’s a departure which will be felt on Merseyside next season.
Liverpool's decision to sell Luis Diaz
Liverpool sold Diaz, 28, due to the fact he had entered the penultimate year of his contract and wanted to leave, earning a comparatively meagre amount compared to many of Liverpool’s best-paid stars.
Bayern presented the Reds with a pretty few pennies, and his sale felt like a no-brainer, although it has now left the Anfield side lacking the versatile forward’s electric-paced energy.
Following the announcement of Diaz’s sale, Salah said this: “Your energy, drive, and passion on the pitch have left a mark that won’t be forgotten.”
And he only improved over the past year, shifting from Jurgen Klopp’s gegenpress to the more methodical ‘Slotball’.
Matches (starts)
37 (32)
36 (28)
Goals
8
13
Assists
5
5
Shots (on target)*
2.5 (0.9)
2.0 (0.8)
Big chances missed
13
11
Pass completion
85%
86%
Big chances created
5
8
Key passes*
1.8
1.6
Dribbles*
1.8
1.5
Ball recoveries*
3.4
2.9
Tackles + interceptions*
1.0
1.3
Duels won*
4.6
3.8
Diaz’s sale does, of course, hand Cody Gakpo something of a window to grasp over the coming weeks and months, for he is – as things stand – Liverpool’s leading left-sided forward.
But the Colombian, now part of the Die Roten squad, played a fair share of football as a makeshift number nine, and when Liverpool replace him, they might have their sights set at a central player.
Liverpool target wants to join them
As per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Liverpool have seen an opening offer for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak knocked back. It fell into the ballpark of British-record territory, in excess of £120m.
Transfer reporter Ben Jacobs has corroborated the report, revealing that the 25-year-old is “pushing to join” Slot’s side. The Magpies, it’s important to stress, are adamant they will only cash in should they find a suitable replacement.
Careful planning and handling of finances have allowed Liverpool to shift into this enviable position, and Isak really would be the icing on the cake this summer.
What Liverpool would get with Alexander Isak
Isak has been with Newcastle for three years now, having joined them from Real Sociedad for £63m in 2022. Pundit Ally McCoist hailed him as “the best all-round centre-forward” in the Premier League for his efforts across the 2024/25 season, and it’s hardly an outrageous take.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland may be a more clinical ball-striking machine, but Isak’s rounded style, merging strength with style, suggests he could slot right into the way of things at Anfield.
It’s the kind of offensive game that would play right into Salah’s strengths, prominently, but also Gakpo’s too. Liverpool’s Netherlands ace scored 18 goals and provided seven assists last season, instrumental in winning the Premier League.
He’s not averse to creating and drawing defenders away, of course, and so in this way, Liverpool could find a new high-class partnership developing between Isak and Gakpo, with the Newcastle number nine so elegant and suitable for the prolific wide forward’s skill set.
Matches (starts)
30 (27)
34 (34)
Goals
21
23
Assists
2
6
Touches*
26.8
33.3
Shots (on target)*
2.4 (1.4)
2.9 (1.4)
Big chances missed
21
18
Pass completion
80%
77%
Big chances created
5
11
Key passes*
0.9
1.2
Dribbles*
1.4
1.2
Ball recoveries*
1.3
1.6
Tackles + interceptions*
0.4
0.5
Duels (won)*
2.4
2.8
The £120k-per-week Isak has a lot in his locker, but he has almost simplified his game at Newcastle, relinquishing some of the more athletic and mobile elements to refine his world-class shooting. It worked to an emphatic effect, for Newcastle restored their place in the Champions League and won the Carabao Cup (against Liverpool in the final) besides.
He was only outscored by Salah, but his roundedness suggests that he could be an exciting dance partner for Gakpo, whose responsibilities may well increase with Diaz now gone.
Gakpo isn’t a one-trick pony by any stretch, but he does put an emphasis on his goalscoring, cutting inside and clinically striking on goal.
Since Isak created 11 big chances in the top flight last season, it seems like he would be a tailor-made addition to combine with Gakpo, who ranked among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League last year for non-penalty goals (0.47) per 90, as per FBref.
The Dutchman was praised by pundit Peter Crouch for having “gone up a level” since Slot replaced Klopp in the dugout, and you can only imagine the kind of heights that the 25-year-old could reach alongside a cultured and confident superstar such as Isak, who has been described by teammate Nick Pope as being “like a wizard” for the playmaking side to his arsenal.
Once again, Liverpool know that their hopes of signing Isak hinge on Newcastle’s ability to find a replacement. They want RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, but he’s also being pursued by Manchester United, who are readying a formal bid.
However, the Magpies will be cautious about keeping Isak on the books after his desperate efforts to force a move to Liverpool, and this is – without a doubt – one to keep a close eye on.
Bigger mistake than Diaz: Liverpool ready to sell Slot's "monster" for £47m
Liverpool sold Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich, and now face the exit of another star player.
2 ByAngus Sinclair Jul 31, 2025
