Virgil van Dijk drops Isak transfer hint in clear message to Liverpool chiefs

Liverpool are likely to table a second bid for Alexander Isak and Virgil van Dijk appears to have thrown his support behind the move which would break the British transfer record

Virgil van Dijk has strongly hinted that he wants Liverpool to break the bank and sign Alexander Isak. Liverpool have already seen a British-record offer worth £120million rejected by Newcastle, who are braced for a second bid.

Isak, 25, has told the Newcastle hierarchy that he wants to leave and the Magpies are scouring the market for potential replacements for their star striker. Liverpool have already spent £79m on Hugo Ekitike but want to add more firepower in light of events this summer.

Tragedy struck when Diogo Jota died in a car crash last month before the Reds sold Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez for a combined £111.7m. That's left room in the forward line, with Isak touted to fill the void.

Arne Slot has remained tight-lipped on Liverpool's pursuit of the Swede and backed his current forward options ahead of Sunday's defeat to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield. But after the match, Van Dijk suggested that his club need to bolster.

When asked if Liverpool's squad was short of attackers, the Liverpool captain replied: "I don't know - we will find out! Everything that happened with Diogo, tragic, and Lucho (Diaz) and Darwin leaving.

"Those are three senior attackers. I fully trust the club to do the right thing - what they think is good for the club."

There's been a raging debate over where Liverpool need Isak. Speaking prior to the Palace game, Slot declared: "We think we already have a lot of attacking power in our team," the Liverpool manager said last week.

"I think about Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Mo Salah, Jeremie Frimpong who can play as a right winger, Florian Wirtz who can play as a left winger... I already feel I have a lot of attacking options in my squad, but always as a club we are looking at the chances in the market but that can also be in the midfield and the last line."

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher also isn't convinced that the Reds should pay such a hefty fee. "It will be an amazing signing. But from a Liverpool fan point of view, I don't want the club to spend £150m on Isak," Carragher stated on The Overlap.

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"I could probably imagine that he was Liverpool's No 1 target but there's something about Liverpool buying a striker [Ekitike] for £80m and he's a back-up. There's something about it that doesn't sit right to me.

"I look at Isak, he's obviously thrown his toys out of the pram once Arsenal and Liverpool signed a striker. From him and his agent's point of view, did they not tell Newcastle months ago that they wanted to move on? It just seems a little bit messy.

"When I think of Liverpool, it doesn't look really planned. I don't think the plan is to sign a striker for £80m and sign one for £120m. I feel for Ekitike a little bit. Because he's been brought in and then all of a sudden this Isak thing has come.

"I do want Liverpool to sign Isak, but £150m for me feels like a [Kylian] Mbappe. You should be getting Mbappe for £150m."