Virgil van Dijk made it very clear what Liverpool dressing room thinks of Alexander Isak

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk made it very clear before his side’s Carabao Cup final against Alexander Isak’s Newcastle that the Reds cohort rate the striker highly

Virgil van Dijk’s pre-Carabao Cup final comments indicate that ‘red-hot’ Newcastle talisman Alexander Isak is revered by the Liverpool squad. The Reds submitted an opening £110million offer for Isak this summer, but a move has since stalled.

Despite spending almost £300m on the likes of Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike and potential British record transfer Florian Wirtz, Arne Slot’s side are still eyeing up a blockbuster move for the Magpies’ star Swedish striker. The club tabled a £110m bid earlier this month, which was swiftly rejected, and have not returned with a follow-up.

Reports suggest Newcastle have informed their player he is not for sale this summer and will not head to Anfield, though not all hope is lost. Nevertheless, Isak knows exactly how Liverpool’s squad feels about him, after the club’s captain made a glowing admission before March’s Carabao Cup final between the Reds and Newcastle.

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Asked about facing Newcastle in the final, Van Dijk did not hold back when praising striker Isak, an indicator of just how highly he is rated by players on Merseyside.

“Obviously, they have a striker that is in red-hot form at the moment,” Van Dijk told CBS Sports with a chuckle in February. “So when the time is there, we have to be ready.”

With Liverpool’s pursuit of Isak hitting a snag, manager Slot was asked whether the departed Darwin Nunez, who has joined Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, would be replaced by the 25-year-old, and he remained tight-lipped in his response.

“As you know from me, and I think every manager works like this, you never talk about players that are not yours,” Slot told reporters before their Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace.

“So I can talk to you about Hugo [Ekitike], who we’ve signed recently and has done really well until now. We are very happy with the squad we have.

“There’s every reason to be happy about that, because we won the league last season. OK, players left, but we’ve brought players in as well and youngsters are doing good.”

Slot also touched on the club’s current range of attacking talent, which was on full display at Wembley against the Eagles, with new recruits Ekitike and Frimpong finding the back of the net.

The Dutch manager refused to rule out his side returning to the transfer market, however, but did admit that his current arsenal is already impressive.

“I think, we think, we already have a lot of attacking power in our team,” Slot continued. “I think about Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike and Mo Salah.

“We brought in Jeremie Frimpong because we think he can play as a right full-back but I also think and feel he can play as a right-winger – Florian Wirtz who can play as a left winger.

“I already feel I have a lot of attacking options in my current squad, but as always, as a club, we are always looking at the chances in the market. But that can also be in the midfield or in the last line.”

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