Liverpool have reportedly joined Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal in the race to sign Real Sociedad centre-forward Alexander Isak.
According to reports in the Sunday Mirror (h/t The Boot Room), Liverpool are interested in Alexander Isak, which makes things quite interesting for the upcoming summer transfer window. Both Arsenal and Manchester United have reportedly been courting the centre-forward over a possible summer move as well.
Isak had a great 2020/21 season, scoring 17 league goals for Real Sociedad while also impressing for Sweden at UEFA Euro 2020. The 22-year-old hasn’t been as lethal this season, netting just eight times across competitions for the Basque club. He still has a host of clubs lining up for his signature.
Arsenal are in desperate need of a striker ahead of the next season. They lost Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer to Barcelona in January. The two remaining strikers at the club, Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, both have their contracts expiring in the summer, with extensions looking unlikely at this point.
Arsenal were in the market for a centre-forward signing in January and were seriously interested in Dusan Vlahovic. But the Serbian striker joined Juventus instead. After failing to add a proven goalscorer to their squad in winter, the Gunners are eager to find a quick solution to their striker issue and have identified Isak as a potential signing.
The north London club have even contacted the player’s representatives and are ready to shell out a significant sum to convince Real Sociedad to sell the 22-year-old, the aforementioned report claims.
Manchester United are on the lookout for a young striker, with Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo’s futures unclear. They have reportedly made Erling Haaland their top target, but the Norwegian seems destined for a move to Manchester City. And the Red Devils have thus identified Isak as an alternative.
Liverpool’s interest in Isak stems from the uncertain futures of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, all of whom will be entering the final year of their respective contracts at Anfield. With Salah refusing to sign the current contract proposal from the Reds, an exit could become a reality if things do not get resolved in the coming weeks. In such a scenario, they will need to sign a new forward.
And even though Isak would not be a like-for-like replacement, the Swede could slot in as a No. 9 while Jurgen Klopp could deploy the likes of Diogo Jota or Luis Diaz out wide.
Isak will have four years remaining on his contract after the current season, but Real Sociedad are ready to offload him for a fee of around £60 million. It is believed that the Swedish international will prefer a club with regular Champions League football, and among the three interested English clubs, only Liverpool can promise that at the moment.
