How Isak’s mood shifted after Liverpool sealed Ekitike deal – Athletic | OneFootball

Liverpool’s pursuit of Alexander Isak took a decisive turn once Hugo Ekitike joined us this summer, with The Athletic outlining how the Newcastle striker’s mood changed immediately after that deal was completed.

According to James Pearce, Oliver Kay and others, the Magpies had resisted an initial approach from Anfield in mid-July when we offered around £120 million for the Sweden international.

At the time, Newcastle were struggling to strengthen their own forward line after losing Callum Wilson and missing out on Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Bryan Mbeumo.

Ekitike deal alters Newcastle stance on Isak

Picture via liverpoolfc.com

The report explains that while Newcastle publicly insisted Isak was untouchable, privately some within their hierarchy acknowledged that signing Ekitike might make them more open to a sale.

Instead, Hughes moved quickly to bring the French forward to Merseyside on 21 July for a fee that could rise to £79m. That transfer is now viewed as a pivotal moment in the saga.

The Athletic noted that “those who saw him up close” felt Isak’s demeanour shifted after Ekitike’s Anfield move was agreed.

The 25-year-old then missed a friendly with Celtic citing a “minor injury” and subsequently refused to join Eddie Howe’s squad for their pre-season tour of Asia.

This lack of a pre-season has led the Swede to comment on his own poor fitness following a disrupted summer.

Liverpool stayed confident of landing record deal

Image via @LFC on X

Although our opening £110m bid on 1 August was rejected out of hand, senior figures at Anfield remained convinced that patience would eventually deliver a breakthrough.

The club’s decision not to seriously pursue alternatives such as Bradley Barcola or Rodrygo showed the belief that Isak could still be prised away.

The Athletic even reported that Newcastle insiders viewed Liverpool’s approach as “just trying to save face after doing their best to destabilise a rival.”

Whilst the Geordies remain bitter after this transfer exchange, our new No.9 has been the more classy party with his statement.

Our hierarchy considered their offers serious and believed that landing both Ekitike and Isak was realistic, especially after the tragic loss of Diogo Jota and the sale of Darwin Nunez to Saudi Arabia.

With Ekitike already bedding in and Isak eventually secured for a British-record £125m, Liverpool reshaped their attack in dramatic fashion over the course of a summer that will be remembered as one of the most significant in recent history.

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