· March 7 2025, 17:00
**The fears that Alexander Isak will leave Newcastle United in the summer transfer window may have been allayed slightly by recent messages from the club but they will never fully go away until that window slams shut with Isak still on the books.**
That little window of uncertainty is all some journalists need to keep writing about the idea of Isak leaving Newcastle this summer, but not all journalists will pedal the sensationalist narrative, some will tell it more like it is.
Eddie Howe's sentiments on the matter have been well documented and now Darren Eales has backed him up this week. Alexander Isak is not for sale, nor are any of the club's top players, with Eales saying the club would be 'crazy' to sell the Swedish marksman.
However, there's no denying that Isak is coveted by other clubs. The Arsenal links are well established by this point, but a lot of talk has emerged around Liverpool lately. Whether that's an unsettling tactic ahead of the Carabao Cup final, who knows?
Alexander Isak - The fun never stops
David Ornstein lays down the truth about Alexander Isak
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However, it was a Liverpool fan who prompted [The Athletic's David Ornstein](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6180667/2025/03/06/liverpool-alexander-isak-arsenal-striker-transfers/) to talk about Isak after asking what striker targets he was aware of that Liverpool were looking at.
> "They will obviously have multiple options on their radar, but the only name I’ve personally heard of so far — which others have already reported — is Alexander Isak. Liverpool aren’t alone in liking the Swede. We know Mikel Arteta wants to sign him, Chelsea and Barcelona have also been linked, and I’m sure many other sides would be keen, too, if the opportunity arose."But that’s a big ‘if’. Newcastle have no intention of selling their best player and, understandably, don’t welcome this kind of conversation. Isak has more than three years left on his existing contract, he is very well paid, and there’s no financial requirement for the St James’ Park hierarchy to cash in."Now, every player has their price and while I’m not aware of Newcastle specifically setting one for Isak, the number that seems to circulate around the industry is something like £150million. Perhaps if teams are prepared to make such eye-watering offers there’s a conversation to be had, but Newcastle hold the aces here and their plan will be to build with, rather than without, him.
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> "Liverpool are only going to consider making a move if Isak is genuinely available; they’re not the type of club to engage in a wild goose chase. But I do think (sorry to say this, Newcastle fans) his future will be one of the big talking points heading into and during the summer transfer window."
Speculation around Alexander Isak is the price of having a top talent at the club
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Isak's future can be the big talking point of the summer, it's frustrating, but we'd rather it was talked about than actioned upon.
If the price for keeping hold of Isak beyond the summer is daily doses of wild speculation then it's a small price to pay as far as we're concerned.
We're sure we're far from done with mental transfer stories, and even the odd scarily believable transfer story where Isak is concerned, but it is what it is.