LIVERPOOL look set to battle Manchester United and Arsenal for Viktor Gyokeres with their pursuit of fellow Swede Alexander Isak looking doomed.
Reds boss Arne Slot is desperate to sign a top striker ahead of their Prem title defence — and has the two Scandinavians in his sights.
But No 1 target Isak, 25, is proving difficult to lure away, with Newcastle preparing to make him the highest-paid player in their club’s 132-year history.
Isak earns £130,000 a week but Toon want to reward his 27-goal season with a bumper £200,000-a-week deal.
Meanwhile, £60million-rated Gyokeres, who has hit 97 goals in 102 games since arriving in Portugal from Coventry two years ago, has been on Slot’s radar for months.
The 27-year-old was United’s top summer target after boss Ruben Amorim took him to Sporting.
But he wants to play in the Champions League and the Red Devils have no European football.
Arsenal have already had a £55.3m bid rejected by the Portuguese champs and are likely to return with a second offer.
But they now face stiff competition from the Kop.
Gyokeres is at war with Sporting president Frederico Varandas over his selling price and has warned he will not return for pre-season training.
He has an £85m release clause but Sporting could sell for £20m less.
Slot wants to bolster his options up front as Darwin Nunez is close to joining Napoli in a £42m deal.
While the Reds continue to pursue Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi and are confident of landing the 24-year-old defender — in the last year of his contract — for £35m.
Guehi would fill the void left by Jarell Quansah, 22, who is set for a £34m switch to Leverkusen.
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