Alexander Isak 'ready to join Liverpool' as Newcastle handed Hugo Ekitike nightmare | OneFootball

In a remarkable power play, Liverpool are confident that both strikers want to join

Newcastle star Alexander Isak wants to join Liverpool this summer, according to reports.

Newcastle were earlier this week reportedly close to reaching an agreement with both Ekitike and Eintracht Frankfurt for the French forward, only for the Premier League champions to throw a significant spanner in the works.

Liverpool are said to have reacted to Newcastle shutting the door on Isak talks by launching a bid for Ekitike, and Fabrizio Romano reports on Thursday morning that they are now ahead of the Magpies in the race to sign the French forward. The Reds expect to sign Ekitike if all hopes of an Isak deal end.

It leaves Newcastle, who are said to believe Liverpool are trying to unsettle Isak, either losing their current talisman or missing out on another huge striker target. Chelsea had beaten them to Joao Pedro's signature earlier in the window.

Romano has also provided an update on Isak's stance amid all the noise, insisting the Newcastle player is ready to leave and backed up earlier suggestions that Liverpool would not have made an approach without encouragement to do so.

“What about the player? Many of you are asking me what the player wants to do. At the moment from what I’m hearing is Alexander Isak is very calm,” Romano said.

“He knows Newcastle want to keep him, he knows very well about that, he knows Newcastle want to offer him a really important contract, but at the same time he knows Liverpool offer not just important money but also an ambitious project too.

“So, Alexander Isak is not closing doors to the possibility, and Liverpool were never going to make club-to-club contact without a feeling the player would be open to making a move.”