LONDON (AP) — Liverpool was saving the biggest transfer until last with Alexander Isak reportedly set to complete a move from Newcastle for a British-record fee as the window closed on Monday and spending by Premier League clubs approached $4 billion.
English champion Liverpool had yet to announce the widely reportedly 125-million pound ($170-million) purchase of Isak, meaning its summer-long pursuit of the striker was dragging on beyond the official end of the window at 1800 GMT.
British broadcaster Sky Sports showed footage of Isak at Liverpool airport, purportedly ahead of a flight to Sweden where he will link up with his national team.
On the back of winning the Premier League for a record-tying 20th time, Liverpool has aggressively overhauled its squad and blown most its rivals out of the water, spending a remarkable $570 million, more than any other team in Europe. Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz and young French striker Hugo Ekitike have already joined in deals worth more than $100 million.
One transfer Liverpool reportedly failed to get over the line, however, was for England defender Marc Guehi, who will stay at Crystal Palace for the final year of his contract because the London team couldn’t secure a replacement.
English soccer has unrivalled spending power owing to its huge domestic and international broadcasting deals and its top-flight clubs have demonstrated their financial might this summer, with Arsenal also having an outlay of more than $300 million. The club’s eighth and likely final signing of the window was a loan deal, for Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen.
Flush with cash from the Isak transfer, Newcastle was reportedly set to sign Yoane Wissa from Brentford as a second striker addition along with Nick Woltemade, who joined for a club-record fee on Saturday.
Other highlights on Monday included Tottenham signing France striker Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa signing former Manchester United center back Victor Lindelof on a free transfer.
Yet to be resolved was Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s reported move to Manchester City from Paris Saint-Germain as a replacement for Ederson, who has been the No. 1 for Pep Guardiola’s team since 2017.
Most Premier League clubs have been in the market for players on deadline day in what has been one of the most chaotic transfer windows in history.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
