In a summer full of money being spent by England's top clubs, no story was spoken about more than Alexander Isak's potential move to Liverpool.
Now that the Swedish international has made the £130 million pound move to the champions, we look back at all the twists and turns that made this saga the most compelling, yet toxic, story of the summer transfer window.
The Earliest Signs
It was no secret in the world of football that Isak was having a good 24/25 season with Newcastle, scoring 27 goals in 42 appearances for the Geordies, the most notable of them being the second in a 2-0 win in the Carabao Cup final against Arne Slot's Liverpool ironically!
The people on Tyneside were in love with their Swedish star, worshipping his every move, thinking "there is no way Alex will leave Newcastle this summer; no chance."
And it's reasonable to see how they thought this, as the player was seen as happy and not for sale, which would keep him at the northern club for another year.
Don't get me wrong, a few reporters came out in early March saying Isak was the dream summer signing for Liverpool, but no-one thought it would be a move that could actually happen, Reds faithfuls included.
Yet, something unexpected changed everything...
We Are Interested, But...
The first major move in the Isak saga came on July 15, with the transfer window in full swing and the champions already having signed the likes of Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez, Slot was looking to bolster the attack even further with the addition of Newcastle's main man.
Reliable journalist David Ornstein made all Reds fans stop exactly what they were doing and check X, as he confirmed that the Merseyside club were willing to do a deal worth £120 million to get the Swede's signature.
This was not an official bid yet from the Reds, but it was a start, a first impression to prove they were serious in trying to get their dream target.
However, from the off it looked an incredibly tough deal to do, as the stance from Eddie Howe and Newcastle seemed to always be the same; not for sale.
The Biggest Of Bombshells
After seeing little encouragement from Newcastle's side for a potential move for Isak, the Reds looked elsewhere in their pursuit of a forward, turning their attention to highly talented Hugo Ekitike.
Only six days after LFC's first push for the Swede, they had already agreed a deal for the Eintracht Frankfurt striker instead, worth a whopping £79 million, which many guessed would be the end to any speculation on Isak's future, with his only potential buyer now seemingly not looking for another striker.
However, no one expected what happened next...
The first signs of the 25-year-old's discontent at Newcastle came when he didn't make the trip out to South Korea for the pre-season tour, reportedly due to a thigh injury.
Though this story didn't last too long, with an exclusive from journalist Craig Hope saying that the striker wanted to explore a move away from the club, dropping on July 24.
This was the major breakthrough that Liverpool's recruitment duo of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes were dreaming of, with the player wanting to leave Newcastle, inevitably the Merseyside club's name was immediately dropped into the conversation.
Worth the wait. pic.twitter.com/Gs1vZybcUE
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 1, 2025
Forever Checking Socials
From this point is where this transfer saga took a toxic turn for the worst, with Isak stuck right in the middle of it.
After the big reveal that the 25-year-old wanted to leave, Newcastle set off to try and find a replacement, which is where problems started to occur, with Liverpool fans forever checking their socials for any news on what would happen in this most unusual saga.
With Frenchman Ekitike already signed by the Reds, Newcastle's Saudi owners had to look elsewhere to find someone they believed had the capabilities to replace the Swede's impressive output.
Though at this point, the move still seemed unlikely, with Ekitike making his move, most thought brining in two strikers wasn't an option, but they were proved wrong by the Reds, who put in a first official bid of £110 million for Isak on August 1.
The bid was received at Newcastle and replied back with a firm no, with the hierarchy at St James only willing to sell if a replacement could be found, which was seeming more and more unlikely.
By this point in the summer most of the available top strikers had already made their moves, with Liam Delap and Joao Pedro both going to Chelsea and Victor Gyokeres moving to Arsenal, the amount of number nines on the market was limited.
However, one definite name of interest to Newcastle was RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, with the Slovenian looking for a move out of the Bundesliga.
But after a long decision-making process, the 22-year-old ended up joining Manchester United instead; a strange decision seeing as Newcastle finished 10 places above them last season!
So the search continued for their replacement, as a frustrated Isak waited in the wings, only training by himself and refusing to play in any Newcastle matches in order to get his move.
As you can imagine this didn't go down to well with the Geordie faithful, especially after Isak had also put out a statement on Instagram, again expressing his desire to leave the club.
Alexander Isak shared a statement on Instagram after being named in the 2025 PFA Premier League Team of the Year 👀 pic.twitter.com/v8LWSDu6UV
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) August 19, 2025
Get Into Them!
As if this saga hadn't already been toxic enough, with the burning of shirts and chants in the stands, the footballing gods had one more ace up their sleeve, as Newcastle were set to face Liverpool at St James Park in the second game of the Premier League season.
Clashes between these two have always produced classics, however this one was a whole other level, with the backdrop of the Isak saga creating a melting pot of Geordie anger.
And lets just say the game did not disappoint.
With a banner on the side of St James's saying "get into them" everyone knew this had the potential to be football at its finest.
It's fair to say the Newcastle players took that personal war cry a little too seriously, with Anthony Gordon being sent off for a late challenge on Virgil Van Dijk just before half-time and Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Fabian Schar all coming off for Newcastle with injury.
However, after coming back from 0-2 with only ten-men, it looked like Eddie Howe had pulled off a mastery of a comeback against the reining champions.
Though there was still one twist left in the tale of this unforgettable game, as 16-year-old substitute Rio Ngumoha scored a 100th minute winner for the Reds, taking them to two wins from two in the league.
What a game it was and it wouldn't have been possible without the added spice of the Isak saga, lurking in the back of everyone's minds.
The End In Sight
With only one week to go until the transfer window's closure, one way or another the future of Isak would be decided in the coming days.
The big update for both Liverpool and Newcastle supporters alike arrived on August 28, only four days before the end of the window, that being the signing of a replacement - Nick Woltermade.
A package of £69 million was agreed between Newcastle and Stuttgart, allowing the German to make the switch towards the northern English club.
It's fair to say the 23-year-old will always be welcome at Anfield for that move, as that was the domino effect that allowed the Isak move to Liverpool to become a reality.
Three days later and at midnight on the August 31 the agreement was made between Newcastle and Liverpool to make the Swedish international a Red - at last!
I'm sure all Liverpool fans will remember where they were and what they were doing at that time - some might have even been asleep, but they definitely had good news to wake up to.
He Is Worth The Wait
A memorable 39 days after Craig Hope's exclusive on Isak's desire to leave, he was finally donning the red of the champions, with a deadline day move that Liverpool fans could've only dreamed of.
The incredible saga was finally over and in the end everyone got what they wanted.
Isak and Liverpool got their move, whilst Newcastle acquired the services of both Woltermade and Brentford's Yoane Wissa to replace the Swedish star and Eddie Howe can move onto new topics of conversation in his press conferences!
The Kopites now wait in great anticipation over the international break, waiting for the 25-year-old superstar to make his debut for the Reds, no longer having to dream, but instead happily embracing the reality the Alexander Isak is Liverpool's number nine.
Goodnight, Reds 🔴 pic.twitter.com/89JjXYONis
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 1, 2025
