The Magpies have will part ways with Alexander Isak after a summer long transfer saga comes to an end
Alexander Isak of Newcastle United
Alexander Isak of Newcastle United(Image: Getty Images)
Newcastle United will push through a £125m deal for Alexander Isak on deadline day - sources at St James' Park have confirmed.
The Sweden international, who has refused to play this pre-season, leaves after three years on Tyneside and his medical on Merseyside is booked in for this morning.
Liverpool finally placed a new bid one month after their original offer of £110m was turned down.
The £125m offer for Isak will be a fixed fee and Isak will sign a six-year deal for the Reds after getting his wish to join the Premier League champions.
The record sale sale comes in at £25m less than the original £150m asking price of the Magpies, but with Newcastle knowing they HAD to buy a replacement with Isak refusing to play, the deal was essential to keep United clear of any PSR trouble.
Isak had released a statement last month reading: "I've kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken. That silence has allowed people to push their own version of events, even though they know it doesn't reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors.
"The reality is that promises were made and the club has known my position for a long time. To now act as if these issues are only emerging is misleading.
"When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can't continue. That's where things are for me right now - and why change is in the best interest of everyone, not just myself."
When asked about Liverpool's conduct during Isak's on-off move to Anfield, Howe had said earlier this month: "I don’t think that’s for me to comment on. I can only comment on our conduct and how we conduct ourselves as a football club. I’ve got nothing to say about any other club.
"It’s not personal, it’s professional. It’s about Alex the player and us as a football team and our football club. What other football clubs do is irrelevant to me."
Howe had also dropped a hint on PSR being a factor at St James' Park if certain sales went through and said on Friday: "I’ve said many times we don’t want to be in a position where we are having to make poor decisions, which we had to do, well documented, previously off the back of the decisions we’ve made trying to improve the squad as we are now so I think PSR continues to influence everything we do but we don’t want to be chasing a big deficit because that will have big negative consequences if we are in that position again."
But as reported previously on Chronicle Live, Isak's situation had been left with PIF, who ultimately made the decision to sell, with Howe focusing on the players he does have.
Howe said: "I don’t think you can be emotionally involved. If you’re emotionally involved, you’re going to make a bad decision. I’ve had to separate myself from it, as Alex exited the squad, initially. I took the view that the squad needed me to be the best me and be totally focussed on them. This situation was not going to be resolved quickly and I had no control over bringing any resolution to it. I was in that position when I took the call to move forward with the squad."
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