Liverpool transfer news latest: Alexander Isak latest as Newcastle United striker's exit could be decided in July

July will prove to be the decisive month for Alexander Isak's potential move to Liverpool, Reds transfer expert David Lynch has claimed.

The Merseysiders are looking at building a side capable of retaining their Premier League title, with the additions of attacker Florian Wirtz for a league-record fee highlighting the club's ambition.

Newcastle United striker Isak has also been linked with a move to Anfield, and rumours continue to circulate despite the fact the Toon are reportedly demanding close to £150m for his signature.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch expressed his view that Isak's future will be resolved in July, saying: "If Newcastle are in a position where they think that, 'okay, we don't want to just give him away but we are willing to sell at a certain price', they will want that transfer wrapped up as early as possible.

"If there is going to be a resolution on this with the player ending up at Liverpool, it's going to have to be reached in July because it makes no sense for Newcastle to sell any later than that. For Liverpool, they're into a new PSR period now, they know where they're up to and there's potential for big sales to happen.

"If sales do happen, then the money's there to play with and go out and get someone like Isak. This is a key period for this story in terms of which way it goes and it's a flip of a coin - it could go either way. I'd favour him staying at Newcastle but it feels like there's a genuine chance and this is the period in which we're going to find out."

Liverpool are also said to have interest in other strikers, so they will want to know as soon as possible whether they should turn their attention to alternative targets.

Is Newcastle's stance changing?

Many reports in June insisted that Newcastle had no intention of selling Isak, with many Reds fans believing it impossible to pry the Toon's talisman out of the club.

However, claims have since emerged in the last weeks suggesting that the Magpies would be tempted by offers in the region of £150m, and would prefer to sell abroad, perhaps hinting at their softening stance.

When asked if momentum is building for a possible deal, Lynch did not dismiss the idea, when he told Sports Mole: "It feels a bit like that. The one thing that keeps me invested in this story is that nobody at Liverpool is dismissing it, though I can't vouch for the Newcastle side.

"You can only interpret the reports that are coming from reporters who are close to that club, but equally I feel like there's been a softening of their stance. When they qualified for the Champions League, it was very much 'hands-off, we're not going to need to sell him'.

"That's slowly built into 'we're a little bit worried about bids' or, 'it's going to have to be this price to even think about it', which is a very different stance to 'we're not selling him at all this summer'. That's surprised me because I thought with him being three years out from the end of his deal they were in a relatively strong position."

The fact that Liverpool have not yet moved for the likes of Hugo Ekitike would indicate that they believe there is a chance of landing the Swede this summer.

Could an Isak sale benefit Newcastle?

While Liverpool have been active in the transfer market, Newcastle could themselves be active in the summer, though they have so far failed to land a number of targets.

Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo and Brighton & Hove Albion's Joao Pedro were reported target's, but the former is said to prefer a move to Manchester United, while Chelsea have signed the latter.

Lynch suggested that Isak's sale could ultimately benefit Newcastle, telling Sports Mole: "I do wonder whether they're starting to feel the weight of some of the rejections that they've had in the transfer market. Joao Pedro choosing Chelsea - if they had a little bit more money to play with, would that have been an easier deal to do?

"I wonder whether that is starting to affect their thinking and maybe they're putting themselves in a mindset where a big Coutinho-like sale that they can reinvest is starting to become more appealing to them.

"Ultimately it's just very hard at the moment to dismiss this story, but I don't think that should be interpreted as 'yes he's definitely going to sign for Liverpool'. There are a million things that count against this transfer happening, and I still lean to that being the likeliest outcome that he does another year at Newcastle, but you can't dismiss it."

The Toon are also said to be interested in signing Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, so perhaps selling Isak would allow boss Eddie Howe to fund a significant revamp of his playing squad.