Newcastle just showed its hand ahead of Liverpool showdown as Alexander Isak waits

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Specifically, it made a $68 million (£50 million) bid for Jorgen Strand Larsen of Wolves.

In The Athletic, for instance, it was suggested that Strand Larsen is viewed as a potential replacement for Callum Wilson, who left Newcastle on a free transfer this summer.

A similar line has been bandied about when it comes to Yoane Wissa of Brentford, another forward on whom Newcastle is keen.



And more importantly, are we really supposed to believe that Newcastle would be putting $68 million on the table for a back-up forward, at a time when PSR continues to mean that every single penny counts?

Strand Larsen, for his part, is said to be keen on the move, albeit not agitating for it.

In short, this appears to be a pretty clear sign that Newcastle is continuing to look for viable Isak replacements, thereby facilitating a potential move to Liverpool before the transfer window shuts.

But Newcastle has arrived too late, and Wolves now has every right to dig its heels in, especially given that its striker has shown no sign of downing tools.

While the anger among the opposing fans will be channelled toward Liverpool in today's game, the real story of this Isak transfer saga is Newcastle's bungling incompetence

He and Liverpool will both remain on alert for any progress — but while the Strand Larsen bid suggests the Magpies are more willing than they have let on, the response from Wolves underlines that time is very nearly up.