'I can't see it' - Liverpool legend warns former club over Alexander Isak transfer

Aldridge, who won a league title and the FA Cup as a player with Liverpool, has admitted he struggles to see how Newcastle would allow star striker Isak to join the Reds. The Magpies are said to be bracing themselves for an approach from the Anfield club, having struggled to make much progress with the Swedish forward over a contract extension.

Liverpool have already forked out more than a fair amount in transfer fees this summer following deals for Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. However, while the Merseysiders are confident they could complete a move for Isak without breaching Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR), Aldridge is not convinced Newcastle will allow the deal to go through even though he loves the player.

Aldridge told BetBrain: “Liverpool have some thinking to do in regard to the centre forward position.

“If the club are going to replace Darwin Nunez, who are they going to bring in? Will Florian Wirtz play as a false nine? For me, Alexander Isak is the player on everyone’s mind and would be the perfect addition up front.

“He’d be a superb signing, but I can’t see Newcastle letting him go, and if they did, it would be for a huge fee. I don’t know what the club’s plans are, but they need to get something sorted before the start of the season.

“Liverpool also can’t allow Luiz Diaz’s contract to run down and him leave for free - ‘no player is bigger than the club’ as they say. There’s so much happening at Liverpool right now; they don’t need another saga with a player’s contract - we all saw what happened with Trent Alexander-Arnold. If it was down to me, I’d give Diaz a new contract - I want him to stay.”

Arne Slot used the likes of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez as his central striker during the Premier League title triumph. Jota tragically passed away in a car crash earlier this month, prompting tributes from around the world of football, while Diaz and Nunez have both been linked with moves away from Liverpool.

The Isak saga is set to be a fascinating one to watch for the remainder of the summer transfer window. Liverpool will have to fork out a significant amount to get a deal done, but the English champions have already shown they aren't afraid of splashing the cash and could break their record transfer fee if they were to sign Isak.