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Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak(Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

Liverpool moving closer to signing Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt has done little to smother the noise being created about Alexander Isak at Newcastle United.

Interest has grown in both options but so far a full transfer assault has only advanced in one direction this summer.

The Reds have committed £79m for bringing Ekitike to Anfield, meaning the Frankfurt goalscorer was able to arrive in England on Tuesday to begin a medical.



It looks to be the latest deal in a seriously active summer for the Premier League champions but quite possibly not the last.

As Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa all have varying levels of uncertainty surrounding their status as Liverpool players, at least one departure could heighten the need for another attacking recruit.

READ MORE:Liverpool transfer news LIVE - Alexander Isak rumours, Hugo Ekitike updates, Rodrygo latestREAD MORE:Liverpool 'close' to agreeing next transfer after Hugo Ekitike £79m deal

Isak was the club's leading target, the ECHO reported before the swoop for Ekitike was made.

The 25-year-old has proven his talents in England over three seasons, scoring 62 goals.

Nothing of the sort has emerged so far between this season and the next, so Isak's future is still there to be questions.

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Stirring the pot further, the striker's agent Gonzalo Gaitan has come out to say: "We are indeed studying and analysing all options, and we may be close to finalising the next step for the player."

Isak's impact for the Reds' Premier League rivals would make him difficult to turn down now or in the futuer, even if Ekitike is signed beforehand.

Head coach Arne Slot would have to put his thinking cap on to figure out how he can fit two central attackers into a system that last season used only one, and that is without considering the rest of the players vying for a place in the starting XI.

It would also come down to sporting director Richard Hughes to strike a financial agreement that mutually satisfies.

A tricky prospect indeed.

Dating back far longer than the summer window in play right now, it has been speculated Isak would cost a record-breaking sum.

Now the sporting director has been set a benchmark for Isak too.

The CIES Football Observatory - which compiles numerous factors such as a player's age, contract length, previous transfer fees, performance metrics and demographic components - has estimated the Newcastle striker's fair transfer value to actually be between €94m-110m (£81.6m-95.5m).

A situation where both Ekitike and Isak end up in Liverpool colours seems incredibly unlikely this summer, but the latter's situation may be one to keep an eye on given he should still have his best years ahead of him.


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