Liverpool have agreed a British-record fee of £125million with Newcastle United for the transfer of Alexander Isak.
The Sweden forward will undergo a medical in Liverpool on Monday before completing a move on a six-year contract.
The fee is an increase on the £110million offer Liverpool submitted on August 1 and which was the precursor to Isak, 25, going on strike in an attempt to force his departure to Anfield.
Isak has refused to budge on this position all summer since The Times revealed on July 24 that he could potentially earn around £300,000 a week at Liverpool.
He ended talks with Newcastle about becoming the highest-paid player in the club’s history. Newcastle, through their financial backers, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, have made repeated attempts to reopen negotiations but have failed to convince either the player or his representatives to consider staying at Newcastle.
The fee is lower than Newcastle’s mooted asking price of £130million but will surpass the previous British record fee of £115million paid by Chelsea when Moisés Caicedo joined from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023. In June, Liverpool agreed to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for £100million plus £16million in add-ons, a deal that would surpass the Caicedo fee if all conditions are met.
Newcastle have spent heavily in this transfer window and The Times understands they needed to sell Isak to be able to sign either Yoane Wissa or Jorgen Strand Larsen. Either Wissa, the Brentford forward, or Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Strand Larsen will cost in excess of £50million.
Isak’s departure could open the door for Wissa to join Newcastle
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A gross spend approaching £200million this summer, after being dormant in the transfer market for three windows, had raised concerns that Newcastle would face issues complying with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules if they did not sell Isak before signing another forward.
Isak has insisted all summer he would not return to Newcastle. He refused to play in a friendly against Celtic and then refused to go on the club’s tour to Asia. He has trained on his own during afternoons at the club’s training ground and has not spoken to Eddie Howe, the Newcastle head coach, for more than two weeks.
Isak released a statement in mid-August in which he said promises from Newcastle had been broken and his relationship with the club had broken down.
Liverpool have waited patiently while the soap opera has played out and Newcastle fans chanted “Isak’s a c*** ole ole” during the goalless draw at Leeds on Saturday, indicating that a return to playing in black and white stripes would be unlikely.