London (AFP) – Liverpool, the English Premier League champions, have agreed a record deal to sign Swedish striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle, for an unprecedented British fee according to media reports, while Manchester City strengthened their squad with Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Isak is expected to move to Liverpool for a fee of £130 million (176 million dollars), according to The Athletic, The Telegraph, and others.

The Athletic reported that Isak will undergo medical tests on Monday before signing a six-year contract.

This will be the biggest transfer in Premier League history, surpassing the deal of Argentine Enzo Fernandez from Portuguese Benfica to Chelsea for £106 million, according to reports.

Isak (25 years old) scored 23 league goals last season, the second top scorer behind Liverpool’s Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah, helping Newcastle qualify for the Champions League.

The Swedish international trained away from his teammates after making his position clear to the club and requesting a move to Liverpool, after Newcastle rejected a £110 million offer earlier in the summer.

However, the club signed German international striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart on Saturday in a special record deal (£69 million), which helped approve Liverpool’s new offer for the Swede.

Isak will be Liverpool’s latest signing after Dutch coach Arne Slot’s team brought in several players, most notably German Florian Wirtz in a big deal, along with French Hugo Ekitike, Dutch Jeremy Frimpong, and Hungarian Milos Kerkez.

Newcastle currently sits 17th after a disappointing goalless draw with Leeds United in the third round, following a loss to Liverpool and a draw with Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, Liverpool leads the table with nine points from three wins over Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Arsenal.

Donnarumma replaces Ederson

Donnarumma’s transfer to Manchester City was finalized after the latter agreed to pay 35 million euros (41 million dollars) to Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG sought to find a solution with City to offload Donnarumma’s salary burden and avoid losing him for free in a few months.

Donnarumma’s time at PSG ended as the Spanish coach Luis Enrique looks “for a different type of goalkeeper,” according to reports after the Italian keeper was excluded from the UEFA Super Cup match against Tottenham (won by PSG on penalties) and then from the early stages of Ligue 1.

The 26-year-old expressed his frustration after being dropped, saying on Instagram, “Someone decided that I can no longer be part of the group or contribute to the team’s successes. I am frustrated and sad.”

PSG signed goalkeeper Luca Chevalier from Lille to replace the Italian, who told his PSG teammates they were “my second family,” thanking them “for every battle, every laugh, and every shared moment.”

Donnarumma played a crucial role in PSG’s successful campaign last season, winning the domestic treble of league, cup, and champions trophy, and continentally winning the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history, especially in the round of 16 and semi-finals against Liverpool and Arsenal. He also reached the final of the new Club World Cup, losing 0-3 to Chelsea.

Since joining PSG in 2021 from Milan on a contract until June 2026 with an annual salary estimated at 12 million euros (about 14 million dollars) after taxes, Donnarumma faced much criticism for his unsuccessful aerial interventions and inconsistent foot play.

Reports indicate Donnarumma’s move to City is linked to City’s plan to offload Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson, who is expected to move to Turkish club Fenerbahce. The British Press Association said Monday City reached an agreement to sign the Italian, especially after new signing James Trafford from Burnley has not performed convincingly in City’s first three matches of the new season (City lost two out of three).

Martinez to United

Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 2022 World Cup winner in Qatar, may join Manchester United from Aston Villa after Cameroonian Andre Onana continued costly mistakes and Turkish Altay Bayindir failed to successfully replace him.

Martinez (32 years old) was not included in Villa’s squad during the 0-3 loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Brazilian winger Antony will not return to Old Trafford as United reached an agreement with Spanish club Real Betis to sell the player permanently.

Sky Sports reported that Villa, led by Spanish coach Unai Emery, also agreed to sign Jadon Sancho on loan from the Red Devils.