Real Madrid transfer twist shows Liverpool must abandon Alexander Isak pursuit and adopt new target
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Liverpool's chances of signing Alexander Isak appear to be decreasing by the day, with time running out for the Reds to convince Newcastle to sell the wantaway striker.
Even if the Reds were to stump up an offer that Newcastle might deem acceptable for Isak, the Magpies would not have much time to acquire an adequate replacement.
Newcastle and Eddie Howe have consistently maintained that the door is open for Isak to be reintegrated when he is ready to return, and in a World Cup season, it seems unlikely that Isak's stubbornness will win out over his desire to represent Sweden next summer.
Asked ahead of Monday's game against Liverpool whether he hopes Isak will eventually be integrated back into the Newcastle squad, Howe responded: "Yes, of course.
"I have no doubt about how the players will feel [about Isak returning].
They will feel the same way I do
If Alex wanted to come back and play for us, the players would welcome him."
While the Isak saga goes on, another interesting saga might be brewing, as Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton is being linked with a blockbuster move to Real Madrid.
Madrid's midfield has seen plenty of change over the last couple of years with the departures of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric
Adam Wharton is reportedly a Real Madrid target
A move to Madrid before the closure of the transfer window seems unlikely, particularly as Palace is under no pressure to sell the England youngster, but were Los Blancos to step up their pursuit of Wharton, it would be interesting to see whether any Premier League clubs might try and intervene.
Liverpool is well stocked in midfield at the moment, and even if the Reds do like Wharton, it's unlikely that they would intervene given Arne Slot has other priorities in the coming days — but that's not to say they shouldn't.
Liverpool's midfield looked a tad imbalanced in pre-season and that issue has followed them into the start of the season, and signing someone like Wharton would go some way toward addressing the problem.