Stottie

I'm not interested in Liverpool's PSR and don't see it as relevant for the fees Liverpool pay. My point is that they have themselves jacked up the Ekitike to LFC price to the full release clause. They have done it by not buying him earlier and by telling all and sundry that they have enough money to buy Isak. Our folks have mentioned many times that we face a "Saudi tax", people expect high fees from NUFC because we are seen as loaded. Liverpool by themselves have just announced "WE ARE LOADED". That's not how you get Ekitike, or Guehi or anyone on the cheap. I am interested in the fees Liverpool pay, not their PSR, because Liverpool are constantly described as "well run" and "shrewd". We are constantly described as overpaying, for Tino, Hall, Gordon, and of course Isak himself. All of these lads are now worth a fortune. My advice would also be to make signings feel wanted and not go around telling everyone, including your fans, they are your second choice. The mental side of football is huge.

Yes, it's nonsense. Kane broke the Bundesliga scoring record in his thirties. Salah just did the G+A record in the Prem. Lewa is still doing it at what? 37? Seriously folks, don't fall for this bollocks. All that matters in this story is Liverpool are worthy and NUFC are not. Everything must be bent to fit this narrative.

Some weird shit could be going down if PIF (I doubt its Eddie and the club) actively want to sell Isak, but the player himself can do very little. The Isak "toys out of pram" theory relies on lots of heavy lifting about the gloriousness of Liverpool and non-gloriousness of more successful and glamourous clubs like Real Madrid (15 not 6 CL titles). Reaching 50 goals in 76 games says Isak is an Henry/Aguero level talent. He does not need interest from Liverpool to know this. Everyone else knows it too. All of this bollocks says to Frankfurt that there is absolutely no need to give Liverpool a discount on the Ekitike release clause. If he goes to Liverpool, its for full price because Liverpool are saying they can afford Isak. We could still get Ekitike for less, based on other bids for him, including Liverpool's, being imaginary. There is also no need for Palace to accept low Liverpool bids for Guehi (or Mateta or anyone else). They have just openly said they have 120M and likely far more to spend. This is Trump level negotiation, not the shrewdness we are constantly told Liverpool are supposed to have.

The way some of you are going on, they will get Isak, Botman will replace Konate and Gordon will replace Diaz. And we will be honoured to have served the glorious might of Liverpool FC. We should start a petition to get big Al kicked off punditry and replaced by Robbie Fowler.

No, we will rise above them like BDB.

For this particular matter, not being a club who bends over at the will of LFC, no matter how much Twitter demands it, will suffice. Have Liverpool worked out how to defend a corner yet? They let us score two from them in the Carabao final and needed a dodgy ref to chalk one off. Will 172cm of Frimpong make a difference?

If they in fact bought us as some kind of feeder club or second-rate plaything that's low priority compared to Saudi teams, then fair play to them and yes, we are fucked. I don't believe it though. At least three, Trent, Diaz, Konate, of Liverpool's title winning team explicitly don't want to play for them. This never happened with Fergie at Man U or any of Pep's teams. City win the league and Zabaleta, David Silva, and Fernandinho all decide to fuck off on their own terms and not for a China or Saudi payday. I can't imagine that ever happening. It's a bit of a stretch to assume Isak must be frothing to go there.

We bid on Pedro first, but Ekitike is our "number one transfer target". Its all bollocks. "flex" "power move"... Edwards must think we are stupid. I'm still celebrating because two actual bids mean our Callum Wilson replacement budget is in the region of 70M pounds. You'd have been laughed at for suggesting that on here three weeks ago.

If Liverpool are on the blower, let's offer them a share in our women's team for 200M pounds. That's definitely for sale.

I thought two thousand fans signing a petition saying Noni Madueke isn't good enough for you was bad, but this entitlement is even worse.

I do not think Liverpool bidding for Isak will force us to offer more in wages when we negotiate. Isak and his agent will not need Liverpool's blessing to know what he is worth. There is no two-tier market made up of footballers and footballers who Liverpool have enquired about.

We've done that already. Liverpool could just have bought him cheaper two weeks ago, without letting on they actually want Isak. Guess what their fans will start saying if they actually bought Ekitike (big if) and he struggles to find the net.... If Isak dreams of playing for Liverpool, that's up to him, but Trent doesn't, Konate doesn't, Diaz doesn't, Bellingham didn't, .... It is only a given in their most deluded fans' heads. And perhaps football journos who know how to get clicks from such fans.

2. is actually Liverpool overpay for Etikite by being stupid enough to let NUFC bid on him. It will be overpay on fee and wages. The narrative Romano describes only makes sense if you think Liverpool can force us to sell Isak to them and only them. This only works if Isak downs tools for a move to Liverpool, and not a move to Real or PSG or any of the other clubs who've signed Liverpool targets. There have been at least three in three years. Tchouameni, Bellingham and Alonso as manager. Trent has just walked to Real, and Konate wants to do the same. Diaz wants to leave for Barca or maybe Bayern if they are bidding on him. Somehow in all of this, Isak is presented as wanting Liverpool and only Liverpool. It seems deluded to me, way more deluded than any NUFC fan fancying a two striker formation.

Fuck me that's amateur hour from Liverpool. Its bigger amateur hour than Trent and Konate. Another club gets to decide who they play up front. And by us bidding for their #2 option, we get to influence how much they pay for him if #2 is all they get. Their fans will no doubt spin it as a tactical masterstroke.

The only info I can glean here is that Ekitike has accepted personal terms from us and we've made a strong initial bid that was rejected. 80 vs. 100 isn't bad, and more than Bayern Munich just offered for Diaz (67 vs. 100). The stuff about other clubs sounds like speculation/wishing thinking by Frankfurt who sound like they are leaking to the German press. With other bona fide interest, I don't see why it would be easy to get Ekitike to accept personal terms. There was talk of both Nunez and Jota out before Jota's death, so Liverpool not moving on Ekitike and leaving the market open for him would be amateurish, if he were indeed their no. 1 target. Sealing the deal on your CF would be much higher priority than a left back.

If we ever win the league and then break the Bundesliga transfer record, with add-ons, the UK transfer record too, I trust we will not be that bothered about another PL club signing another Bundesliga player. I hope we will not feel a need to concoct other knock-on transfers out of thin air that place us at the center of everything.

Nah, let Liverpool solve their own problems. We finished above them two seasons ago and hammered them in the Carabao final. I'd give Ekitike a five-minute presentation showing the progress made by every high profile signing we've made vs. the "progress" made by Nunez at Liverpool. Add in Liverpool's fans' opinions on Nunez (and Trent, and now Konate) and tell Ekitike that could be him.

Unless I'm missing someone, Ekitike played second most minutes by a forward in the Bundesliga last season. Both Sofascore and Whoscored put him in the league's top fifteen in player ratings for all positions for the season. You get that by consistency, not by being a MOTD highlights-type player. From shot position of goals scored, I guess we would go fluid with Ekitike rightish, Isak leftish as a basic pattern. Ekitike, past season Isak, past three seasons Two forwards that good and the two fastest wide players in the league. Maybe one of you could play some FM and work out a defensive strategy against it because I can't think of one. "We'll just double up on Gordon and Isak" won't work any more. Please let it happen!

This is proper recruitment. Spaffing your biggest dosh on genuine quality up front. Not fucking defensive midfielders like Chelsea.

Jackson is not clinical but makes many chances through pace and power. There is possibly still a player in Nkunku, Bundesliga player of the season not so long ago, but a combo of the injury and Chelsea striker graveyard may have done for him. He was ex PSG before Germany, so his application will be good, he'll be a worker who's resurrected his career before, but too risky to spend big money on him.

Trafford Scalvini Botman Burn Hall (inverted into CM) Tonali Elanga Bruno (c) Gordon Isak Ekitike

Mateta has two years on his deal. They may do, but no need for Palace to sell cheap. He's only just turned 28, so nearly a year younger than Wissa, who Brentford want 50M for.

Just sign him and sell ourselves part of the women's team next June. I don't know what the football story of this summer will be, but the Aston Villa PSR "troubles" we were told about are the No. 1 non-story.

For starters, them getting one of their Saudi clubs to pay a healthy fee for Joelinton, who's 29 next month, would help. Based on amortisation, this would cover Gallagher as a replacement and a big chunk of Ekitike. Either way, 29 means the "sell high" window for Joelinton won't be for that much longer.

Sign Ekitike for 75M, throw out hints about selling Isak to fund it, and once Liverpool have stepped aside on Ekitike thinking they'll get the main man, sell Tino to Man City for 70M. Give Isak bumper new deal with foreign club release clause as a reward.