Newcastle United player Alexander Isak celebrates on the final whistle after the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium on March 16, 2025 in London, England.Newcastle United player Alexander Isak celebrates on the final whistle after the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium on March 16, 2025 in London, England.
Newcastle United player Alexander Isak celebrates on the final whistle after the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium on March 16, 2025 in London, England. | Getty Images
Liverpool are one of the clubs linked with Newcastle United star Alexander Isak ahead of the summer
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United player Chris Waddle believes Magpies striker Alexander Isak could have his “head turned” this summer amid transfer interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.
Isak is hot property following a stellar season with Newcastle, as he has scored 23 goals and provided five assists in 33 games across all competitions. He also showed his ability to step up on the big occasions as he scored for Eddie Howe’s side in the 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final earlier this month.
The Sweden international joined Newcastle in the summer of 2023from La Liga side Real Sociedad for a then club record fee of £63m. Both Liverpool and their title rivals Arsenal are in the market for a striker next summer and Isak is likely to be in demand. However, a reported Newcastle asking price of between £100m-£120m could successfully deter clubs from signing him this summer - as he still has three years to run on his contract at St James’ Park.
Chris Waddle discusses possible Alexander Isak transfer to Arsenal or Liverpool
Speaking with 10bet, Waddle said: “Arsenal want Isak. Liverpool are reportedly looking at him. Paris Saint-Germain would probably love to take him. Some players leave football clubs simply for a change of scenery, you want to go to London or Paris, for example. I can understand why people are drawn to those places, but you've got to play.
“You don’t want to join a club, sit on the bench and make 10 appearances. At the end of the day, your description as a job is footballer, not a benchwarmer. You're not a judge (laughs)! Not that Isak would have that problem, but we’ve seen plenty of players move on to supposedly bigger and better thing over the years and not play. If he wants to go, then he's got to put his hand up and say, I want to move on. Newcastle will be sad to lose him. He's a very good centre forward. He scores his own goals. A lot of goals he scores, he makes them himself. And there's not many of these players around. I can see why Arsenal and Liverpool are looking at the lad and thinking he would do a great job for us. I can also see how he could have his head turned.
“He's come from Real Sociedad to Newcastle. He's done well. At first he was in and out of the team, Callum Wilson played a lot. They didn't really know where to play him. They thought, can we play him as a 10?They couldn't fit him in the team. Callum Wilson, unfortunately, gets a lot of injuries. Isak comes in and just takes the number 9 shirt. Newcastle definitely don't want to lose him. They’re always saying there's a new deal, but if the lad has his head turned and thinks I want to go to London or I want to go to Paris, there's not a lot you can do.”
Liverpool need a new striker in the summer - Darwin Nunez linked with exit
The Uruguayan joined Liverpool for a potential club record fee of £85m in the summer of 2022. His initial fee was £64m with a possible £21m in add-ons. He has failed to live up to that price tag although he has enjoyed some big moments in a Liverpool shirt. He scored late winners against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest last season and netted two important goals in a late win over Brentford in January.
However, his finishing has been incredibly inconsistent and is a source of frustration for many supporters. He missed a glaring chance in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa in February and while manager Arne Slot did not criticise the player’s finishing, he did express unhappiness with his work-rate after the miss.
Slot said: "I helped him by saying you can miss a chance. I wasn't only hard on him. But for the second time in a row I wasn't happy with his work effort, against Wolves and against Villa. I can't accept if a player doesn't give everything. That is clear. I can accept it once, but twice was a bit too much. That's why I addressed it.
"If you miss a chance, you need to be fighting for the team. I'm not saying he didn't do that at all, but it wasn't the usual Darwin, the one that is loved by the fans. That is mainly because he always works so hard."
Atletico Madrid are one of the clubs said to be in the running for Nunez this summer and a potential deal has been backed as the 'perfect move' for everyone.