Liverpool sign Isak for British record $170m

LIVERPOOL, England:

Alexander Isak became the most expensive player in the history of British soccer after joining Liverpool for a reported PS125 million ($170 million) from Newcastle yesterday, ending the summer transfer window's biggest saga.

The 25-year-old Sweden striker finally got his wish after openly revealing his discontent at Newcastle in an explosive post on social media in which he claimed the club broke promises about an agreement allowing him to leave for Liverpool.

While agitating for the move, Isak trained away from the main Newcastle squad for weeks and missed the team's first three English Premier League matches of the season -- including one against Liverpool.

Liverpool made a reported bid of PS110 million for Isak during the off-season and bided their time before coming back with a second, ultimately successful offer for the striker, who netted 23 goals in the Premier League last season to finish second in the scoring chart behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.

That has been accepted by Newcastle, which failed last week -- after talks with Isak -- in a last-ditch attempt to keep him at the Saudi-controlled club.

The transfer was finally announced a few hours after the official closing of the summer window and Isak said it felt "amazing" to join Liverpool on what the team said was a "long-term contract".

LONG JOURNEY

"It's been a long journey to get here," he said. "But I'm super happy to be a part of this team, this club and everything it stands for. It's something I'm proud of and I'm really looking forward to it.

"I'm just happy it's done and that I can get back to work. I'm looking forward to seeing my teammates and the fans, and getting back out there."

In a terse, 37-word statement announcing Isak's departure, Newcastle confirmed they received a British-record fee, which surpasses the 116 million pounds ($156 million) paid by Liverpool for playmaker Florian Wirtz in July. That in turn superseded Chelsea's purchase of Moises Caicedo for PS115 million ($146 million) in August 2023.

It makes Isak the fourth most expensive player of all time -- in dollars -- after Neymar (joined Paris Saint-Germain for $262 million in 2017), Kylian Mbappe (joined PSG for $216 million in 2018) and Philippe Coutinho (joined Barcelona in a deal worth $192 million in 2018).

Isak -- born in Stockholm to parents from the small East African nation of Eritrea -- joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022 and established himself as one of the best and most sought-after strikers in the world.

By signing two strikers in Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart and Yoane Wissa from Brentford, Newcastle spent the money earned from the Isak sale but at this stage they seem downgrades.

SPENDING SPREE

As for Liverpool, it's the most expensive signing yet in a remarkable $570 million summer spending spree made on the back of winning a record-tying 20th top-flight English title. Among the others to join are Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz (for PS116 million; $156 million), young French striker Hugo Ekitike and full backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

The outlay has been offset by the Premier League champions selling the likes of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Jarell Quansah. Liverpool were also quiet in the offseason last season, as Arne Slot bided his time before overhauling the squad he inherited from Jurgen Klopp.

- AP