Liverpool’s hopes of securing a domestic trophy to go along with what they hope will be a Premier League title were dashed when they were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United at Wembley last weekend.
The Reds were beaten by goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak in the capital, in the same week that they were also dumped out of the Champions League on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain.
Isak scored what turned out to be the winning goal at Wembley when he reacted to Jacob Murphy’s header to sweep the ball past Caoimhin Kelleher with a ruthless finish into the bottom corner on the half-volley.
It was a lethal strike from the Sweden international who showcased his quality in the final third, whilst Liverpool’s number nine – Diogo Jota – struggled.
The Portugal international failed to find the target with his only effort on goal and only completed 40% of his attempted passes in the match, as he struggled to have a positive impact on the match.
Their contrasting performances on the big stage on Sunday may explain why the Reds have been linked with an interest in signing Isak from the Magpies.
Liverpool's reported interest in Alexander Isak
The Merseyside giants are reportedly keen on a swoop to land the former Borussia Dortmund marksman in the upcoming summer transfer window to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.
Speaking on his YouTube channel earlier this week, Fabrizio Romano said: “Liverpool are also there for Alexander Isak, they already made some contacts with people close to the player, so both clubs are interested in Alexander Isak.
“For Arsenal, he is the absolute top target. For Liverpool, he’s one of names they are considering in that position.”
Liverpool just experienced first-hand the kind of quality that Isak could provide Arne Slot’s side, which may be why they are looking to rival the Gunners to his signature.
However, The Telegraph reported, back in December, that the Magpies are poised to demand a fee of more than £150m for the centre-forward, and that would make him a club-record signing for the Reds.
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Liverpool could avoid splashing out more than £150m and smashing their club-record transfer fee to land a new number nine, though, as they are said to be keen on a bargain alternative to Isak.
Liverpool showing interest in Ligue 1 centre-forward
According to CaughtOffside, the Premier League leaders are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign Lille centre-forward Jonathan David in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that Liverpool are ‘considering’ a swoop to bring the Canada international over to England ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, as he is due to be a free agent this summer.
David’s current contract with the Ligue 1 side expires at the end of this season and he will be free to negotiate with other clubs at the end of June, which is an opportunity that has attracted interest from plenty of sides.
CaughtOffside adds that Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain are also considering moves for his services, which shows that Liverpool are facing serious competition from massive clubs in England and abroad.
David, who scored against Liverpool at Anfield earlier this season, has also attracted interest from Premier League sides Arsenal and West Ham United, the latter of whom invited the centre-forward’s agent to watch one of their matches.
Michael Edwards must, now, push to win the race for his signature in the summer transfer window because the Lille marksman could arrive at Anfield as a bargain alternative to Isak, given that he will be a free agent in the summer instead of a signing in excess of £150m.
Why Liverpool should sign Jonathan David
Aside from the fact that he will not a penny in transfer fees, there are several reasons why signing David would make a lot of sense for the Reds.
The Canadian marksman only turned 25 in January and this means that Liverpool would be bringing in a striker who is heading towards the prime years of his career, with plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve.
That is particularly exciting when you consider that he has already scored 19 goals or more in each of the last four seasons for Lille in all competitions – including an eye-catching nine goals in 14 matches in the Champions League this term.
The Ligue 1 superstar was once described as “one of the best strikers in the world” by podcaster Tony Marinaro, which is hard to argue when you take his consistent run of goals over the last four years and his form in Europe’s biggest club competition this season into account.
David has proven himself to be a reliable performer at the top end of the pitch for the French side for several seasons, which shows that his current form is far from a flash in the pan and, instead, is something that suggests he could be a fantastic addition for Slot.
When you compare his performances for Lille since the start of last season with Isak’s for Newcastle, signing the 25-year-old on a free transfer seems like a dream scenario for Liverpool.
Appearances
55
58
xG
35.84
31.39
Goals
40
33
Big chances missed
32
26
Big chances created
15
12
Assists
7
7
As you can see in the table above, they boast similar records in their respective leagues, as both scorers and creators of goals, as they are both ruthless finishers who can also create for their teammates.
These statistics show that David is a clinical finisher who can make the most of the opportunities that are created for him, as he has outperformed his xG by almost two goals.
Meanwhile, Jota – who started up front in the League Cup final – has scored five goals from 7.21 xG across 18 appearances in the Premier League this season, which suggests that he has been an unreliable presence for the Reds in the centre-forward position.
Therefore, David could be the perfect signing for Liverpool to come in and make the most of the high-quality opportunities that have been wasted by the Portuguese international.
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He would also be a bargain alternative to Isak because he can offer a similar level of quality in the final third, as shown by his aforementioned statistics for Lille, without the more than £150m price tag to go alongside him.
That is why Edwards must do everything in his power to convince David to make the move to Anfield over any of the other reported clubs that are eyeing him up this summer.
