No formal contact has been made between Newcastle and Liverpool, who saw an earlier informal approach for Isak swiftly rebuffed and pivoted to sign Hugo Ekitiké from Eintracht Frankfurt. The Reds are prepared to lodge a record-breaking bid if Newcastle indicate any willingness to get a deal done.

Liverpool could deploy a squeezed 4-2-3-1, in which the nominal wingers Salah and Ekitike are so narrow they operate more as number 10s either side of Florian Wirtz, with the width then provided by two flying full-backs.