The Newcastle player is on the shortlist for next summer

It is no secret that Liverpool would like to sign at least one central defender in 2026, given the possible departure of Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez. This has led to the club drawing up a shortlist, and one of those under consideration is very familiar with recent signing Alexander Isak.

Isak joined Liverpool on the final day of the summer transfer window for a British record transfer fee, said to be in the region of £125m. The saga surrounding him has caused a lot of animosity at Newcastle, and the situation could now be repeated in 2026 – and not only that, for a player the Swedish striker was very close to during his time at St James’ Park.

Liverpool is setting its sights on the transfer of Sven Botman

As reported by Mark Bruce in Daily briefingLiverpool have Sven Botman on their list of candidates, as the Dutch central defender is highly regarded among Anfield officials, who considered him during the recent summer transfer window.

Botman had a difficult time at Newcastle over the past 12 months, as he was regularly plagued by injuries. However, his fortunes have improved in recent weeks, as he has been included in the starting line-up for the last five matches – in three of which Eddie Howe’s side have kept clean sheets.

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Botman had an impressive first season at Newcastle in 2022-23, and despite numerous injuries, he is starting to return to form. In this regard, it is understood that Liverpool consider him a good candidate to sign in 2026.

However, Newcastle will almost certainly make it extremely difficult for Liverpool to sign Botman, given their feelings towards the Premier League champions as a result of the Isak saga. Moreover, Hao also explained this He wants to keep the defender.