What Liverpool did after 'making £100m bid' for Alexander Isak's Newcastle team-mate

Liverpool will hope to succeed in their hunt to sign Newcastle's Alexander Isak, having failed to sign his £100m team-mate previously. The Reds reportedly wanted to lure Bruno Guimaraes to Anfield and had a gargantuan offer for him rejected long before raising interest in Isak.

Arne Slot's side have already had an opening bid of £110m for Isak turned down this summer. However, the Merseysiders haven't been fully deterred as Isak continues to insist on a move, adamant that he has played his last game for the Magpies.

Jurgen Klopp was still in charge at Anfield in the summer of 2023 when Liverpool supposedly launched a £100m move for Guimaraes. The midfielder was only 18 months into his tenure at Newcastle but attracted major interest after helping Eddie Howe's side finish fourth in the Premier League.

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However, Spanish newspaper AS reported the nine-figure bid was immediately rebuffed, causing Liverpool to back off and turn their attention elsewhere. Midfielders Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo were brought in from Brighton, Bayern Munich and Stuttgart, respectively, that summer.

But with a little more than one week to go in the transfer window, there's a chance things may pan out differently with regards to Isak and Liverpool. Even if the move doesn't materialise this summer, there's a feeling Liverpool could come in to sign the forward in future after his bonds in the northeast have been broken.

Unlike with Guimaraes, Liverpool don't have any other targets in mind and don't intend to give up the chase. The Reds are said to be hopeful of signing Isak even if a deal doesn't come to fruition this summer, despite already splashing out on Hugo Ekitike, who has made a bright start to his Anfield career with two goals from as many games.

Isak released a statement earlier this week reiterating his desire to leave St. James' Park. The Swede highlighted the point that "promises were broken" by Newcastle, hinting at the alleged gentlemen's agreement that he would be permitted to move this summer.

Newcastle issued a swift response to that letter with a statement of their own, saying they were "disappointed" by their player's ongoing attempts to force an exit. The reply also insisted that no club official has ever forged an agreement that the player could leave this summer.

The statement read: "As explained to Alex and his representatives, we must always take into consideration the best interests of Newcastle United, the team and our supporters in all decisions and we have been clear that the conditions of a sale this summer have not transpired.

"We do not foresee those conditions being met. This is a proud football club with proud traditions and we strive to retain our family feel. Alex remains part of our family and will be welcomed back when he is ready to rejoin his team-mates."

Unlike in Guimaraes' case, the Isak saga has been played out in public over a number of weeks. However, with three years left on the striker's contract, Newcastle are no more inclined to sell such a crucial player, especially with little time left to source an adequate replacement.

That doesn't mean a deal is dead just yet, especially if Isak continues in his campaign to engineer a deal. However, it wouldn't be the first time Newcastle have dug their feet in to fend off Liverpool interest in one of their key men.

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