Liverpool have smashed the British transfer record to land Alexander Isak, completing a dramatic 125 million pounds ($169 million) deal with Newcastle United in the dying hours of the summer window.

The Swedish striker, 25, will undergo a medical on Monday, before signing a six-year contract that cements him as the centerpiece of manager Arne Slot’s new-look attack.

Add-ons could eventually push the package to 130 million pounds, underscoring both Liverpool’s ambition and the lengths required to secure one of Europe’s most coveted forwards.

The transfer ends a saga that gripped the Premier League all summer.

Liverpool’s opening 110 million pound bid was swiftly rejected in August, sparking a standoff that left Isak sidelined and increasingly frustrated.

Promises he believed Newcastle had made about a potential release clause never materialized and his final weeks on Tyneside grew acrimonious.

He missed the club’s preseason tour of Asia, officially through injury, and later trained in Spain with his former club Real Sociedad as the impasse dragged on.

Only in the final hours of deadline day did Newcastle relent, their acceptance sweetened by a 5 million-pound loyalty payment built into the deal.

The record-breaking move eclipses Manchester City’s 115 million pound signing of Jack Grealish in 2021 and shatters Liverpool’s own previous benchmark – Virgil van Dijk’s 75 million pound arrival in 2018.

For Isak, it is the culmination of a remarkable journey that began as a teenage prodigy at AIK in Sweden and carried him through Dortmund, Willem II, and Real Sociedad before Newcastle made him their 63 million pound record buy in 2022.

In England, he blossomed into one of the league’s most lethal finishers.

Last season, he scored 23 goals in 34 Premier League appearances, second only to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, and ended his Newcastle spell with 58 goals in 105 matches across all competitions.

Tall, mobile and technically polished, Isak is known for his versatility: he scores with either foot, thrives in fast breaks, and converts with ruthless efficiency inside the box.

Internationally, he has already reached 50 caps for Sweden, tallying 15 goals.

Liverpool see him as the missing piece.

The Merseyside club, fresh off reclaiming the Premier League crown last season, have spent aggressively in the 2025 window, outlaying around 416 million pounds to strengthen every line of the squad.

Isak follows Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, who arrived for 110 million pounds, alongside goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, striker Hugo Ekitike, defender Giovanni Leoni, and Salzburg’s Will Wright.

The scale of the rebuild is stark, reflecting Slot’s desire to construct a roster deep enough to defend their domestic title and compete in the expanded Champions League.

For Newcastle, the exit of their talisman stings, though the financial windfall is undeniable.

The 125 million pound fee represents a doubling of their initial investment in just three years and eases pressures under Premier League sustainability rules.

To soften the blow, they have already unveiled German forward Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart in a deal worth up to 69 million pounds.

At 23, Woltemade offers promise, but replacing Isak’s immediate goals and influence will test Eddie Howe’s squad and the patience of supporters who saw their side return to the Champions League on the back of the Swede’s brilliance.

The fallout has exposed fault lines between player and club, with Isak accusing Newcastle of backtracking on verbal commitments.

Yet for Liverpool, his arrival represents a statement of intent. Slot now has the chance to unleash an attack featuring Salah, Luis Diaz and Isak – one that could terrorize defenses at home and abroad.

The anticipation will build toward Sept. 14, when Liverpool face Manchester United.