Exclusive: Liverpool could rain on Newcastle’s parade once again as Reds ask about £50m forward | OneFootball

By the time the summer transfer window closes, eveyone associated with Newcastle may well be sick of the sight of Liverpool!

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It’s no secret by now that the Reds covet a move for Alexander Isak, having already had an offer of £110m turned down by the St James’ Park hierarchy (The Athletic), and reliable reporters have hinted that Richard Hughes could try once again for the 25-year-old.

Last month, the Magpies saw a £70m bid of their own for Hugo Ekitike rejected by Eintracht Frankfurt (Sky Sports) before the French striker ultimately joined Arne Slot’s side in a deal potentially rising to £79m (The Independent).

Having missed out on the 23-year-old, Newcastle have since turned their attention to a potential move for Yoane Wissa, but Liverpool are now threatening to rain on the Geordies’ parade once more.

Liverpool eyeing Yoane Wissa as backup option to Isak

According to sources close to Empire of the Kop, the Merseyside club are closely monitoring the Brentford striker as a potential backup option if their pursuit of Isak were to hit a dead end.

The DR Congo international is valued at £50m and the Bees are open to selling him once they can secure a replacement, with the 28-year-old having expressed a clear desire to leave the Gtech Community Stadium, and the Reds have made initial enquiries about the attacker.

Tottenham Hotspur and Al-Nassr are also understood to be interested in him, so Liverpool may need to act swiftly if they wish to pursue a deal.

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Could Wissa be a sensible target for Liverpool to consider?

Along with Bryan Mbeumo (now of Manchester United), Wissa starred for Brentford in the Premier League last season as he netted 19 goals to go along with the 12 he scored in the previous top-flight campaign, so the Congolese striker has certainly proven that he can be prolific at a high level.

He may be 29 in September, but he definitely fits the profile of versatile attacker that Arne Slot loves, and Liverpool could do with added centre-forward depth now that Darwin Nunez is on his way to Al-Hilal.

While Isak is obviously the primary target at Anfield, Newcastle are understandably proving to be quite obdurate with their stance on the Swede, so the wantaway Bees attacker might yet come under serious consideration on Merseyside as well as the northeast.

In addition to his excellent goal return, some of Wissa’s underlying performance figures were also quite impressive last season. As per FBref, he ranked among the top 15% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues with his 90-minute averages for non-penalty goals (0.59) and xG (0.57), as well as pass completion (76.5%).

Admittedly his age profile falls outside the typical bracket for FSG signings, and his resale value in future years might be a red flag for the Liverpool hierarchy. In the short-term, though, it makes perfect sense for the Reds to keep the Brentford star in mind as a reasonably attainable transfer target in the current window.