{
  "id": 11387844,
  "title": "Julian Ward wanted £130m star for just £50m; Liverpool said no",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/julian-ward-wanted-130m-star-for-just-50m-liverpool-said-no",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-02T07:40:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/julian-ward-wanted-130m-star-074000234.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward expressed interest in signing £130m player Alexander Isak for a significantly lower price of £50m. However, the club declined his offer. Ward, who recently returned to his position, was previously dismissed by Jurgen Klopp, who wielded considerable influence at the club. The club's approach has since shifted to a head coach model, giving Ward more authority. Ward had previously attempted to sign Isak in 2022, when he held the position. This time, Liverpool was seeking a new striker to replace Roberto Firmino's departure, with Darwin Nunez being their ultimate choice. Nunez's impressive 34 goal haul in the 2024 season solidified his position. While Ward's push for Isak was ultimately unsuccessful, hindsight suggests that Liverpool may have made a mistake by not signing the Swedish forward.",
  "summary": "Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward was eager to sign a £130m player for a mere fraction of that. The Reds said no.Julian Ward is back in as Liverpool sporting director. He replaces Richard Hughe...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}