Jamie Carragher is confident Liverpool will sign Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, but is unsure what his arrival would mean for Hugo Ekitike.
The Reds failed with a £110million offer for Isak earlier this summer and will make a second bid if Newcastle give them encouragement to do so.
The Swedish international scored 23 goals in 34 Premier League matches last summer and has asked to leave this summer amid interest from the Premier League champions.
It has undoubtedly been the saga of the summer, with Newcastle demanding around £150m.
Liverpool showed that more firepower in attack is not what they need in their enthralling 4-2 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League’s opening fixture on Sunday.
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Arne Slot’s incredibly attacking philosophy helped them to victory, but left them wide open at the back as Antoine Semenyo scored two goals in transition.
Regardless, Isak is Liverpool’s top priority before the window closes, with Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi also of interest.
And Reds legend Carragher actually believes Slot needs to sign “two more attacking players” and has predicted Isak to join before the September 1 deadline.
“I think he will be [a Liverpool player],” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“I think Liverpool do need to sign two more attacking players, I think they will go back in for another bid, whether Newcastle accept that but it doesn’t feel like any names being bandied about.
“So I do think Isak will be in a red shirt.”
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One question Carragher has regarding Liverpool’s pursuit of Isak is what his arrival would mean for Ekitike, who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69m earlier this summer.
The former defender doesn’t think they will co-exist as centre-forwards and fears that the Frenchman will end up “filling in for Isak” or being an over-priced “understudy”.
“I’ve questioned the Isak thing a little bit,” he continued. “The only thing is I’m not quite sure where the lad [Ekitike] will get his minutes, which is up front.
“It’s hard to play the two of them up front because [Florian] Wirtz will be in the 10, he just cost £115million so he will play every game that he is fit, the same as Isak.
“The lad will end up filling in for Isak or play some minutes on the left but I don’t know if he’ll ever fulfill his full potential if you sign someone like Isak.
“I’m only thinking from a managers point of view and that players’ hierarchy.
“There’s five or six who play week in week out, when you spend that amount of money, Isak becomes one of them.
“I sometimes think, competition for certain places and sometimes an understudy, if Isak comes in for Liverpool, Ekitike is an understudy and £80milion for me, is a lot of money for an understudy.”
Liverpool might not need that extra forward Carragher craves after Federico Chiesa came off the bench to put the Reds 3-2 up in the 88th minute against Bournemouth.
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