Liverpool have spent more than £170m this summer already – and now are interested in a player they would have to break the British transfer record to sign.
With a package for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak thought to cost up to £130m, their summer spending would soar to £300m.
It’s quite the jump.
The Premier League champions last year spent just £10m on Italy winger Federico Chiesa and £25m on Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in last year’s summer window.
Liverpool have already signed midfielder Florian Wirtz in a potential British record £116m deal this summer and paid £40m and £30m respectively for full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
Their sights are now firmly set on a striker.
BBC Sport understands that, while Liverpool have explored other centre-forward targets, they have made a move towards a deal for Isak in recent days.
While he remains the dream target, the Reds also have serious interest in Hugo Ekitike for whom Newcastle had a £70m bid turned down on Tuesday by Eintracht Frankfurt.
Liverpool have also checked in on Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins as they work through a range of striker options.
So how can Arne Slot’s side afford to spend so much on players, and do they have the budget to spend even more?
Liverpool’s income has been boosted this year thanks to several key factors.
They received £175m in prize money for winning the Premier League; last season was the club’s first full campaign with an expanded Anfield Road End and a higher capacity; and from 1 August they have a new kit deal with Adidas which some reports value at £60m per season, more than their current partnership with Nike.
Those factors, combined with comparatively low transfer spending in previous windows, mean Liverpool find themselves well within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) which limit clubs to losses of £105m over three years.
“Liverpool are a super smart football club,” football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport.
“They’re in an incredibly strong PSR position. Out of the traditional big six clubs, they’ve spent the least in this three-year cycle – only £325m – and that includes their signing of Florian Wirtz.
“They’ve still got plenty of wiggle room with their transfer budget. Plus, a move for a striker is likely to be paid in instalments, meaning the cost can be spread over multiple seasons.”
Their position could be further boosted. On Tuesday they rejected a £58.6m opening offer from Bayern Munich for forward Luis Diaz.
While Liverpool have said Diaz is not for sale, they are understood to be open to selling Darwin Nunez, who has interest from Napoli and Saudi Arabia. – BBC
