Liverpool target Alexander Isak was grilled by his team-mates on how he managed to turn them inside out with his dribbling in his very first Newcastle training session, demonstrating his clear quality
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Newcastle United's Alexander Isak warming up before the match during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Birmingham City and Newcastle United at St Andrew's at Knighthead Park on February 08, 2025 in Birmingham, England.
Liverpool have long been linked with Newcastle United's star man
(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Liverpool stars have been told exactly the kind of team-mate they will be getting if the Reds break the bank and sign Alexander Isak this summer. The Swede has emerged as one of the best strikers in the Premier League in his three years with Newcastle.
Since his arrival on Tyneside, Isak has netted 62 goals in 109 appearances across all competitions, reaching the 20-goal mark in the Premier League twice. That has understandably sparked interest from both Arsenal and Premier League champions Liverpool, who have shown great intent so far in the transfer window.
The Reds have already swooped for Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz for £29.5million and £116m, respectively, with the latter set to break the British transfer record once he officially follows his former team-mate to Merseyside. Give Me Sport claims Anfield chiefs are ready to shatter that record again in order to bring in 25-year-old Isak, who has reportedly been valued at a whopping £150m by the Magpies.
Isak has been branded the 'dream' signing for Arne Slot, so it's not necessarily beyond the realm of possibility that Liverpool top their £116m Wirtz offer. And they have already been told exactly the type of player they would be getting, in terms of his ability and personality, by Isak’s Newcastle team-mates.
The Athletic reported earlier this year that Magpies boss Eddie Howe immediately told his staff that Isak was “world class” following his first training session almost three years ago. But he wasn’t the only one impressed with the laid-back yet driven striker, who dazzled his team-mates by dribbling past them and scoring with ease.
Having been left in disbelief, Isak’s new team-mates went up to him after the team drills to ask him how he'd pulled it off. “You were thinking straight away, ‘This kid’s got everything,'” former Newcastle star Matt Ritchie recalled.
When one coach saw him shoot for the first time, they were stunned by his “unbelievable” one-touch finishing, which he showcased when scoring just 38 minutes into his debut at Anfield.
Alexander Isak celebrating with gun fingers
Isak impressed Newcastle players and staff from the moment he joined the side
“He was always going to be a star. You could see it, you could feel it,” Ritchie added. “He’s so powerful, so quick. But Alex is like a racehorse. To keep Alex on the pitch, he needs [everything] to be perfect.”
Defender Dan Burn added: “He’s got everything. In my opinion, Alex is probably the best striker in the world at the minute.” It was also claimed by an unnamed source that Newcastle needed to “stimulate” Isak, to “really get him going” and provoke him into raising his levels at the right moment.
They certainly managed that as he became the seventh-fastest player to reach 50 Premier League goals (76 games) this term, while only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah have scored more than his 54 goals over the past three top flight seasons.
The Magpies have shrewdly tied Isak down to a contract until 2028, meaning they can charge as high a fee as they want in order to price out potential suitors. Liverpool are thought to be willing to offer a fee in the region of £100m, £16m short of what they are paying for Wirtz, which would be far below Newcastle's valuation.
With the Toon's Saudi backing and having sealed a return to the Champions League this season, along with the club buoyed by winning silverware in the shape of the League Cup, they're unlikely to budge any time soon.
It’s understood that the only realistic way in which Isak could move to Anfield would be an effort from the player himself to force Newcastle into a sale. But there's no doubt about what calibre of player Liverpool would be adding to their ranks if he did.