Better than Wirtz: Liverpool believe they can sign "the best ST in Europe"

Believe it or not, Liverpool fans, the summer transfer window hasn’t actually opened yet. You’d be forgiven for assuming the contrary, with sporting director Richard Hughes moving like a man possessed before the Premier League campaign has even concluded.

Arne Slot has bagged the league title in his maiden year at the helm, and will celebrate in front of the fans as Anfield hosts FA Cup winner Crystal Palace in the final fixture of the top-flight season tomorrow afternoon.

The frustration and negativity around Trent Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave at the end of his contract and join Real Madrid has been offset by a flurry of exciting activity, to be sure.

His direct replacement, Jeremie Frimpong, has completed his medical and will likely be announced next week. Meanwhile, talks for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez are advancing, Fabrizio Romano confirming the news.

These deals in themselves are rather spectacular, but that’s without even acknowledging Florian Wirtz, who looks set to move to Merseyside.

The latest on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool

This one’s moving apace. Liverpool have long held an admiration for Bayer Leverkusen’s Wirtz and have joined Manchester City and Bayern Munich in pursuing a deal for the Germany international, but developments in the past day or two have swung the pendulum in Anfield’s favour.

With Pep Guardiola’s side having pulled out of the race earlier in the week, Liverpool were poised to lock horns with the Bundesliga champions for German football’s brightest talent, and they’ve won the battle.

As per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Liverpool are engaged in official talks with Leverkusen for the talented number ten, having already opened communications through the nearly-complete transfer of Frimpong.

Leverkusen value Wirtz at about €150m (£126m), though whether FSG can engineer a more agreeable figure, and how the structure of the deal will play out, remains to be seen at this stage.

Any move for the German would make him the most expensive in his country’s history and indeed Liverpool’s record signing – but maybe not for all that long.

But, Liverpool could also be in the market to add another attacking player on top of Wirtz, and he could an even better signing for the club…

Liverpool confident about signing new striker

As per GIVEMESPORT, Liverpool are growing increasingly confident they can convince Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak to jump ship this summer, financially secure after several windows on the low.

The windfall from winning the Premier League and returning to the Champions League will have helped, of course. However, it will prove strenuous to drive a deal toward completion, for United are holding out for around £120m, though other reports suggest that figure could stretch toward the £150m mark.

Liverpool know that Eddie Howe will fight tooth and nail to keep his focal frontman at St. James’ Park, but FSG are willing to test Newcastle’s resolve with a formal offer in the coming months.

Why Liverpool should sign Alexander Isak

The justification behind an official bid for Newcastle’s star striker is pretty self-explanatory: he’s an incredible goalscorer, and with a dynamic and nuanced skill set which would be perfect for Slot’s specific system.

It’s hard to see a world in which Isak wouldn’t hit the ground running at Liverpool. He’s powerful, athletic, pacy and deadly in front of goal. He’s the finishing piece from which someone like Wirtz could target to create an unstoppable attacking line.

Leverkusen’s man has been hailed as “a defender’s nightmare” by journalist Bence Bocsak, now imagine him combining with Isak, a terror in his own right.

The 25-year-old joined Howe’s side from Real Sociedad in 2022 for a club-record £63m fee and has since hit 73 goal contributions from 108 matches in all competitions, bringing a completeness that could be perfect for Slot’s fluent system.

Described as “the best striker in Europe” by Toon teammate Anthony Gordon, Isak would of course be a stunning addition to a winning Liverpool formula, replacing the flagging Darwin Nunez, the declining Diogo Jota, and taking Slot’s system to the next level.

It’s for this reason that Isak could be the better signing, surpassing Wirtz, especially with an overreliance on a soon 33-year-old Mohamed Salah being a dangerous thing moving forward.

Isak has just produced his finest campaign, behind only Salah in the Premier League’s scoring charts. It’s frightening to think the pair could ply their trade side by side next term, and with Wirtz nestled in behind them too.

Salah is one of the greatest goalscorers the Premier League has ever known, but Isak is proving himself quite the menace on Tyneside, five goals behind the Egyptian but having played five matches fewer.

He’s also missed just 18 big chances in the top flight this term, as per Sofacore, denoting a cutting edge that Liverpool’s central striking options simply haven’t showcased since Slot took to the dugout.

Now that is a style Wirtz would delight in playing with. The German ranks among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe this season for assists and the top 7% for both shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, illustrating an approach which would overwhelm Liverpool’s opponents.

While Wirtz has also created 17 big chances in the Bundesliga this season, his creativity is only one facet of a kaleidoscopic skill set. His combativeness, tenacity and workrate all make him the player he is, a superstar in the making.

This just goes to show he’s tailor-made for a place in Slot’s title-winning squad. For sure, Liverpool have a load of technical quality in their ranks, but they are built on their determination and application, flair enabled through hard graft and toil.

Make no mistake, if Liverpool manage, somehow, to sign both Isak and Wirtz, they will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come, if they are not already.

Isak, however, might just take the cake as the cream of an audacious transfer window, should he sign.

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Open to leaving: Liverpool “machine” would be finished if FSG sign Wirtz

Liverpool are going punch-for-punch with Bayern Munich in the fight to sign Florian Wirtz.