Liverpool on the verge of completing Newcastle's dream double transfer

Liverpool are on the verge of completing everything Newcastle ever dreamed about.

The Magpies have a lot of reasons to despise the Reds over the course of the last 12 months ahead of their Premier League season opener.

It was Alexander Isak's departure that kick-started Newcastle's downfall. Liverpool unsettled the player, just as they had enticed Anthony Gordon the year prior, and did everything to ultimately secure the Swede who was loved at St James' Park.

Fast forward a year, and Newcastle are now not just without Isak but also without Gordon and Bruno Guimarães and Sandro Tonali have all moved on as well.

It has been a horrendous window for Newcastle and a disappointing summer over all. Eddie Howe left his position as manager of the club so they had to replace him as well.

Losing this many key players in one window has put them in a vulnerable position. Once dreaming of lofty heights, Newcastle are now on a completely different trajectory.

No longer are they fighting against the best in the Premier League and trying to establish themselves as a force, but they are instead becoming a selling club, forced to surrender themselves to the football food chain.

Isak quite truly was the first significant example of this. Newcastle didn't want to sell. They wanted to keep him and try and push themselves to be among Europe's elite.

However, the lure of Liverpool and all the temptation that came with it was simply too much for Isak to not fall enamoured by the Reds' project.

With football's sustainability rules, Newcastle also could not afford to accep the insane figure Liverpool offered in order to sign their star striker.

But the way Newcastle handled Isak's departure, the replacements they had made, it all significant contributed to the ultimate downfall of the club.

Newcastle didn't bring in the right players. They didn't bring in players who were ready for Premier League football nor ones who were suited to Howe's style of play and ultimately that cost them dearly.

They slipped below their arch rivals Sunderland and had to sell even more of their stars this summer.

It could have all been very different though.

Once upon a time, Newcastle were an ambitious project. Just after a year of signing Isak, Newcastle were building an exciting portfolio and attracting some of the biggest talents across European and world football.

Among them, a player they landed with huge potential was Yankuba Minteh.

He was signed from Odense in 2023 and immediately loaned out to Feyenoord. Long-term Newcastle's plan was likely to pair Minteh with Isak.

It would have been a dream pairing, given Minteh's speed and inclination to put crosses into the box.

But a year after signing him, Newcastle were forced to sell him alongside Elliot Anderson due to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules.

It was either that or selling Gordon to Liverpool.

Newcastle chose to do the latter, which is something they might regret.

Especially, because it's now Liverpool working on pulling off Newcastle's dream duo. According to the Daily Mail, the Reds have already had one £50m bid rejected for Minteh and are working on making another improved offer.