Liverpool transfer news: Isak update as Arne Slot explains Luis Diaz absence

Liverpool remain interested in Alexander Isak after he told Newcastle that he wants to leave, while Luis Diaz is among a group of Reds stars who could be sold to fund a lucrative transfer

They may've already spent nearly £300million but Liverpool are in the thick of another transfer saga. Alexander Isak, who first emerged as a target before Hugo Ekitike's £79m arrival, is the man who's orchestrated it, having told Newcastle that he wants to leave Tyneside this summer.

It's understood that Liverpool remain interested even though it'd cost them more than the £116m they paid to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. That set a new British transfer record in what's been a busy summer at Anfield.

The Reds kicked off their string of major signings by welcoming Jeremie Frimpong for £29.5m before Wirtz soon followed. Milos Kerkez was next up, setting Liverpool back another £40m.

Sales will therefore be needed if the Reds want to sign Isak without leaving themselves short changed. Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott have all been linked with moves away, with two of them missing Saturday's 4-2 loss against AC Milan in Hong Kong.

Here's a round-up of the latest transfer news from Anfield.

Howe issues Isak update

Eddie Howe admits that Alexander Isak's future isn't down to him but remains 'confident' that the Liverpool target will stay at Newcastle. Speaking after Isak didn't travel with Howe's squad for their pre-season tour of Asia, the Magpies boss said: "The manager of course has an opinion but ultimately the decision will rest with the board."

Howe added that Newcastle aren't under pressure to sell, saying: "We are in a very strong position financially."

How much should Liverpool bid for Alexander Isak? Have your say in the comments section.

Slot confirms why Diaz missed friendly

Arne Slot has confirmed that Luis Diaz missed Saturday's defeat to AC Milan due to the uncertainty over his future. Diaz, 28, was the subject of a £58.5million bid from Bayern Munich which the Reds rejected.

Asked if both the Colombian winger and Darwin Nunez were left out due to potential transfers, Slot replied: "In Lucho's situation it was [linked to his future], yeah. There are a lot of rumours around it lately and I cannot go into that. But he is training really well with us and we have decided, for now, not to play him yet.

"In Darwin's situation, he has trained really well also and played a few good games for us already this pre-season. He was injured so we didn't want to take the risk and it was also the same with Wataru Endo, trained with us all week but we didn't want to take a risk with him either."

Guehi's absence explained

Marc Guehi missed Crystal Palace's pre-season friendly against Crawley Town on Friday, prompting suggestions that he could be in talks with Liverpool. The Reds are interested in the 25-year-old defender but Palace boss Oliver Glasner revealed post-match that his absence was because of an injury.

"Marc had a very small injury, but he will train with us on Sunday," Glasner explained. "We don't want to take any risks."