LONDON —- Liverpool, finally, have got their man. Media reports have indicated that a fee of £130m plus add-ons, as long expected, will take Sweden striker Alex Isak, 25, from Newcastle before this evening’s transfer deadline. Isak is expected to sign a six-year contract.

Liverpool had an original £110m offer rejected in August but the key to unlocking the deal was Newcastle’s weekend purchase of Germany striker striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart.

The Premier League champions had already broken their club transfer record this summer by signing Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz in a deal worth an initial £100m, with a further £16m in add-ons.

Isak’s arrival would top that outlay. After also bringing in Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Armin Pecsi and Giovanni Leoni, the deal would take the club’s spending to about £416.2m without add-on fees, the highest single-window total in Premier League history.

It is only the second time that an English side has paid more than £400m in a single summer, following Chelsea’s £401.2m outlay in 2023. There could be more as Liverpool purchase Crystal Palace’s England defender Marc Guehi.

The departures of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tyler Morton and Ben Doak have recouped an initial amount of about £190m.

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