Plenty of eyes will be on Alexander Isak as Liverpool takes on Newcastle today. If recent rumors are anything to go by, the Reds in particular might be paying close attention to him.
The striker has been in superb form for Newcastle this season - in fact, only Mohamed Salah has scored more Premier League goals than him this season. 18 of his 19 goals in the league have come in his last 18 games, while he also played a huge part in getting the Magpies to the Carabao Cup final, where they will meet the Reds again next month.
It was against Liverpool in early December that Isak truly kick-started his hot streak, the first of eight Premier League games in a row in which he found the net. It's a sequence which has seen his transfer value shoot up, with Arne Slot's side apparently among the interested parties.
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For its part, Liverpool sits atop the Premier League and Champions League tables, with firepower not having been a major issue. But the future of Mohamed Salah remains uncertain, and it seems the jury is no longer out on Darwin Nunez, with the Uruguayan failing to improve on his profligacy in his third season at Anfield.
Liverpool needs a new striker, and Isak has been touted as a potential option, with recent reports even suggesting Nunez might be offered up as part of a swap deal. And while one report last month suggested Newcastle could demand as much as $247 million (£200M), a transfer might not be entirely beyond the realms of possibility.
That's because Isak himself appears to have a positive view of Liverpool. While Newcastle no doubt wants to reach the point where players see St James' Park as a final destination, the allure of Anfield could yet prove significant.
The 25-year-old is certainly settled at Newcastle. And he has spoken in glowing terms about the club:
"There are not many places like St James’ Park," Isak previously told Amazon Prime, via Newcastle World. "The atmosphere is very special and I think you can judge a stadium, not just on the atmosphere but how difficult it is to come as an away team.
“It’s a special place. I think people have a hard time coming to the stadium."
However, unprompted, he also threw Liverpool into the mix.
“I’d say Anfield is probably up there as well," Isak added. "The atmosphere is really good - it’s probably the toughest away game.”
He'll get another tasted of that Anfield atmosphere later, and fans might be minded to make even more noise than usual if it's going to play any sort of role in potentially bringing Isak to Liverpool. Of course, it still feels like the longest of shots for the Swede to arrive on Merseyside this summer, although former Reds striker Emile Heskey has suggested that the 25-year-old might have a plan in place which could open the door.
"If Newcastle do qualify for the Champions League, I can't see them selling any of their best players," Heskey told Instant Casino (via ChronicleLive) For every player, the Champions League is where it's at. It's the pinnacle in club football.
"So, I think to keep a player like that, there might be a gentleman's agreement between him and the club where they will allow him to leave if Champions League football isn’t on the St James' Park menu."
An original version of this article was first published on January 22. It has since been updated.
