Atlético Madrid Circle Isak as Liverpool Weigh Up €100m Valuation

Atlético Madrid have tested the waters regarding Alexander Isak's potential availability this summer, according to reports filtering out of Spain.

The La Liga outfit's interest comes as Liverpool continue to struggle domestically, sitting fifth in the Premier League table following Saturday's 2-1 reversal at Brighton. Arne Slot's side invested over £400m in the transfer market last summer to build on their title-winning campaign, yet the recruitment drive has largely backfired, with several marquee signings failing to deliver the expected impact.

Isak, acquired from Newcastle United for a British record fee of £125m, has barely featured this season due to a succession of injury setbacks. The Norwegian forward has been absent since early December with a broken fibula, having already missed four matches in the autumn through adductor trouble.

Atlético Madrid's pursuit is being driven by the prospect of losing Julian Álvarez for significant money, but the Spanish giants are balking at Liverpool's asking price. The Merseyside club are demanding approximately €100 million and have no appetite for taking a loss on their investment.

According to reports, Atlético's preferred approach involves negotiating a loan arrangement coupled with a purchase option—a structure that would allow them to manage financial risk while giving Isak time to build his market value in La Liga. Liverpool are understood to be open to such a deal should no superior offers materialise, with their priority being to recoup some of their outlay.

Isak himself is apparently receptive to fresh pastures. His limited playing time in England has prompted him to explore other opportunities, and Atlético's offer of regular football and a prominent role holds obvious appeal.

The setback at Brighton has intensified scrutiny on Slot's squad depth. Steven Gerrard, speaking after Liverpool's loss to Everton, highlighted a critical shortcoming: the manager lacks sufficient alternatives to maintain standards across multiple competitions simultaneously.

"They haven't got the options in the squad or on the bench to really make numerous changes to bring that energy or quality into the team to perform at the same level they do in midweek," Gerrard told TNT Sports. "He had to play a lot of the same players today, he made a couple of changes that were forced on him. But the manager wants to keep the change, rather than make changes for energy and it backfired today."

Slot himself acknowledged the mounting pressure but defended his tactical approach. "There's always pressure at Liverpool, on me and the players. It's completely normal," he said following the Brighton defeat. "We've qualified for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League, and in the league we need to make sure we qualify too.

"As much as I disliked us losing today, Brighton away has always been a difficult one and will keep being if they keep bringing in the quality of players they do. There are other games, like last week being 1-0 up in the last minute against Tottenham and not winning, but away at Brighton a club like Liverpool should be able to get a result."