Newcastle United's pursuit of Dominik Szoboszlai appears to be drawing to a close as Liverpool swoop into pole position for the RB Leipzig man. The Hungarian international, 22, has been a key target for the Magpies this summer after impressing in the Bundesliga in recent seasons.
Szoboszlai's €70m (£61m) release clause expires in the coming days and Liverpool have pushed ahead to ensure they land the attacking midfielder's services. The Athletic report Newcastle are now out of the race.
Chronicle Live understands RB Leipzig have always been resigned to losing Szoboszlai this window and have made contingency plans accordingly. The German outfit have signed Nicolas Seiwald and Christoph Baumgartner in recent days and also persuaded key man Dani Olmo to sign a new deal at the Red Bull Arena.
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For Newcastle, the price has always been slightly too high. Having just spent a significant chunk of their summer budget on AC Milan's Sandro Tonali, a move for Szoboszlai was always going to be difficult at Leipzig's hefty valuation of the player.
Another factor is the player's public admiration for Jurgen Klopp. Once Liverpool entered the race for his signature, Newcastle were in trouble.
Szoboszlai has previously praised the German coach, lauding him as the 'best in the world' and hinting he would love to one day play under him.
"I really like Klopp," he said. "The way he can inspire his players is unbelievable. Even when they have nothing, they can stand up and his players can achieve anything. For me, he is the best manager in the world.”
Missing out on Szoboszlai is a blow for Newcastle after also opting against James Maddison to fill a similar attacking role. The Leicester man signed for Tottenham this week after the Magpies ended their 12-month interest in the player.
Tonali is poised to arrive on Tyneside in the coming days to finalise his Newcastle switch. Howe's side are also targeting defensive recruits at present as the window begins to heat up.
