Liverpool have been told what it will take to secure blockbuster £150m Alexander Isak transfer

If Liverpool are to get their hands on Newcastle United talisman Alexander Isak this summer, they'll need him to "throw his toys out the pram." That's according to former Magpies forward Les Ferdinand, who affirmed his old club are "under no pressure" to cash in.

The Athletic reported on Friday that Newcastle have rejected Liverpool's first formal bid for their player. The Reds previously made an unofficial enquiry to sign Isak amid rumours of a £120million deal, but an opening offer has now been rebuffed.

Isak, 25, did not join his team-mates on their summer tour of Asia and has been training individually at his previous club, Real Sociedad. It was suggested Newcastle want Isak, who has three years left on his current contract, to sign a new deal with a release clause that would come into effect next summer.

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However, all signs suggest the player is intent on leaving in the current transfer window. And Ferdinand, who scored 50 goals in 84 games for Newcastle, has already made it clear Liverpool may require a little more help from Isak's side in order to force a move.

The former England international told Goal in March: "If they lose Isak, they go two or three levels back because where do you find another striker like him? What they have to do is convince him this club is going in the right direction, and I'm sure they're doing that on a regular basis.

"Everyone's talking about him every week, this club's interested or that club's interested. That's in some way a compliment to him and the club that he's been able to perform. They signed him on a big contract and he's still got a few years left with them, so they're under no pressure to sell unless he throws his toys out the pram."

Isak has already done so to some extent by refusing to join Howe's squad in their pre-season preparations. But with a month left to run in the transfer window and the start of the Premier League campaign just a fortnight away, an awkward few weeks await in the north east.

Liverpool have been on a serious transfer offensive this summer after concluding hardly any business in Arne Slot's first year at the helm. The Merseysiders already broke the British transfer record by signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal potentially worth £116.5m.

That's in addition to the arrivals of Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili, totalling a combined £165m. But the reigning champions of England appear intent on one more statement signing in Isak to complete their splurge.

The risk for Newcastle is that they choose to force arguably their most valuable asset to stay at the club while he's unhappy. Doing so could impact on-field results, which could reduce his value and mean they fail to net as big a sum in a future transfer window.

Once viewed as the golden child of Newcastle's resurgence in recent years, Isak's gesture to the St. James' Park exit has already lowered his standing with some fans. And Liverpool will hope the player has the gumption to protest further if it would help their case in sanctioning a deal.

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