Arne Slot sends message to Alexander Isak and addresses Liverpool transfer fears

Arne Slot has insisted that he is happy with Liverpool's attacking options despite the Reds being interested in a move for Alexander Isak. The striker is desperate to leave Newcastle and join the Merseyside giants ahead of the upcoming Premier League season. Liverpool initially contacted Newcastle to put the feelers out before submitting an official bid last week.

They were said to have tabled a proposal of around £110million but Newcastle were quick to shut down their advances. It was later reported that Liverpool had withdrawn from negotiations, but a second bid could still be forthcoming. Newcastle have made it clear that Isak has a price tag of £150m.

The forward has spent the last few weeks preparing for the season at Real Sociedad's training base in Spain. He has since returned to Newcastle but is said to be working on his own, away from the rest of the group.

Quizzed on Liverpool's attacking depth in Friday's press conference, Slot insisted that he was happy with the options already at his disposal. However, the Dutchman hinted that he would still be open to improving his squad if an opportunity presents itself.

"I think we already have a lot of attacking power in our team," he said. "[Cody] Gakpo, [Federico] Chiesa, [Hugo] Ekitike, [Mohamed] Salah, [Florian] Wirtz, [Jeremie] Frimpong. We have options, but we are also looking in the market."

Liverpool's hopes of signing Isak appear to have taken a hit over the last few days, with Newcastle failing in their efforts to land their chosen replacement.

They had been eager to bring Benjamin Sesko to St James' Park but the RB Leipzig forward is now expected to join Manchester United. He is set to undergo a medical on Friday and the move could be officially confirmed over the weekend.

It has forced Newcastle back to the drawing board and it remains to be seen if they will be able to sign another striker before the end of the window.

Slot was also quizzed on his side's defensive strength with Joe Gomez still recovering from a minor injury. It has led to fears that Liverpool could be left short at the back, but the Reds manager was quick to stress that other players could fill in.

"They can definitely play there as well and you forget Joe Gomez, unfortunately he has a minor injury at the moment but he will be back with the team soon," he said.

"I'm really happy with the players we are having and we have numerous players who can play in the position."

Slot also spoke about the future of Darwin Nunez, who is close to joining Al-Hilal on a permanent deal. A transfer fee of around £46m has reportedly been agreed between the two clubs, with personal terms already done and dusted.

"As you know, we never talk about players that aren't yours," said Slot. "I can talk about Hugo who signed recently. We are very happy with the squad we are having.

"Okay, players left but we brought players in as well and youngsters are doing good. Darwin might leave but things aren't signed yet. We need to wait a few days before things are done."

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