Liverpool have reached an agreement with Newcastle United to sign striker Alexander Isak in a deal worth £125 million, setting a new British transfer record. The package could rise to £130m with performance-related add-ons, according to sources at St James’ Park.
The Sweden international is undergoing a medical on Monday before finalising a six-year contract at Anfield. The move comes after Liverpool’s initial £110m offer in August was rejected, but the Reds have now secured their priority target on the final day of the transfer window.
The signing marks the culmination of a drawn-out saga. Newcastle’s acquisition of Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart last week paved the way for negotiations to accelerate. For Liverpool, Isak’s arrival further underlines their record-breaking summer, which had already seen them sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £100m plus £16m in add-ons.
Including deals for Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Armin Pecsi and Giovanni Leoni, Liverpool’s spending now totals around £416.2m (excluding potential add-ons). This figure surpasses Chelsea’s £401.2m outlay in 2023, making it the largest single-window spend in Premier League history. The club are also pursuing a late move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
Departures have partly offset this outlay, with Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tyler Morton and Ben Doak generating around £190m in transfer revenue.
Isak joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022 for £60m and quickly became a key figure, scoring 27 goals in 42 appearances last season. He helped the Magpies lift the Carabao Cup in March, scoring against Liverpool in the final, and played a central role in their Champions League qualification.
However, tensions emerged over the summer. Left out of Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia with a reported thigh issue, Isak later trained alone at Real Sociedad. Liverpool’s first bid was turned down, but speculation intensified when the forward issued a public statement accusing the club of breaking promises and insisting “the relationship can’t continue.” Newcastle denied ever committing to sanction his exit, yet his continued absence from the first-team squad accelerated talks.
The agreement was reached after Isak missed Newcastle’s opening three league matches, including a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool at St James’ Park.
If finalised, the transfer will surpass Chelsea’s £107m capture of Enzo Fernández from Benfica in 2023 as the most expensive deal in British football. It also eclipses other £100m-plus moves involving Declan Rice, Jack Grealish, Moisés Caicedo and Florian Wirtz.
Globally, Isak’s move ranks third based on initial fees, behind Paris Saint-Germain’s acquisitions of Neymar (£200m) and Kylian Mbappé (£165.7m). It would sit above Barcelona’s £142m agreement for Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembélé’s £96.8m move from Borussia Dortmund, which could rise to £135.5m.
For Liverpool, the signing is both a statement of ambition and a significant gamble. Isak’s scoring pedigree in the Premier League is established, but integrating him into a squad already undergoing substantial transition will be Jürgen Klopp’s most pressing challenge.
