Liverpool news: Alexander Isak fitness update as transfer interest in £43m star confirmed

Liverpool signed Alexander Isak on transfer deadline day to end one of the transfer sagas of the summer but it may take some time for the Sweden international to hit the ground running

Liverpool finally ended a busy transfer window and got a deal over the line for Alexander Isak but still the Reds must wait to see the British record signing.

The international break is firmly underway meaning that Isak has yet to link up with his team-mates and the Swede departed the country a matter of hours after his deal got over the line. The striker has not trained with Newcastle’s first team all summer, and he will still be required to get up to speed for the Reds.

The Premier League champions have been fine without him so far and have recorded a perfect start in the division. The likes of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong are quickly settling into Arne Slot’s plans.

In a week’s time Liverpool will travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley. And perhaps then Reds’ supporters will get an even fuller vision of what Slot’s side can offer this season with the transfer window shut.

Mirror Football takes a look at some of the latest news around Anfield.

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Isak fitness update

Alexander Isak had to settle with remaining on the bench as Sweden drew with Slovenia. And boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has revealed that it was too big of a risk to bring the Liverpool forward on in a bid to make a difference.

The former AC Milan forward believes Isak’s fitness needs to be carefully managed after a pre-season of ill-preparation. “He had only done three training sessions with the team,” Tomasson told Viaplay after the match.

“He had no preseason with the team and of course no playing time. The risk was probably a bit too great to use him today.”

Pressed whether he could be used in Sweden’s next match against Kosovo on Monday, Tomasson replied: “Hopefully, hopefully. As a game-changer.”

Wirtz verdict

Germany legend Lothar Matthaus expects Florian Wirtz to thrive at Liverpool once he settles in on Merseyside. Wirtz joined the Reds in a blockbuster deal from Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the summer with Matthaus telling Sky Germany that the playmaker will soon make a bigger impact.

“This is normal, after such a big move abroad. But he is a great player, will get used to the Premier League over time and be able to handle even greater pressure,” he said.

“I felt the same way at Inter Milan at first. Andi Brehme, whose transfer was rather silent, immediately performed in Milan. I also had to get used to everything because of the media hype and the higher transfer fee.”

Transfer interest confirmed

Lyon star Malick Fofana has confirmed there was transfer interest from Liverpool and Chelsea in his signature this summer. The £43m attacker never saw prospect of a move advance despite initial contact however.

Fofana is unperturbed however, with playing time his priority currently. That desire is driven by his dream of starting for Belgium at the World Cup.

“There was interest from those two clubs, but ultimately it wasn’t concrete enough. I’ve thought about a transfer, but I think it’s more important now that I play a lot, and that has to happen at Lyon. Because I still have progress to make,” he told of Het Belang van Limburg, per Sport Witness.

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