Liverpool appear determined to secure Alexander Isak this summer, with the Swedish striker’s performances for Newcastle United and his national team elevating him to near world-class status.
Isak’s remarkable record of 58 goals in 100 appearances for Newcastle highlights his reliability, and Liverpool have struggled to replace the consistent goalscoring partnership they once had with Sadio Mane alongside Mohamed Salah.
The Reds are keen to add another attacking threat to ease the burden on Salah.
Newcastle’s ability to retain their star forward may hinge on their final position in the Premier League standings.
With England allocated five Champions League spots for the 2025/26 season, Eddie Howe’s side currently sits sixth, behind City and Chelsea.
Securing Champions League qualification is seen as pivotal for Newcastle in fending off interest from Liverpool and Arsenal, both of whom have reportedly identified Isak as a top target.
Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is said to be a staunch supporter of Isak and is determined to keep him at St. James’ Park.
However, the club is expected to set a substantial price tag for the striker, potentially earning a significant profit on the £63 million they paid Real Sociedad in August 2022.
A place in Europe’s elite competition could bolster Newcastle’s negotiating position and possibly persuade Isak to commit his future to the Magpies.
Now the Athletic’s Chris Waugh, during a Q&A session, revealed that Newcastle are indeed waiting to see their European status before entering into contract talks with Isak – but they are planning on doing so:
“The message back on that front is that nothing has changed. Contract talks will take place towards the end of the season, if not post-season, once Newcastle have discovered whether they will be playing Champions League football in 2025-26,” Waugh wrote.
“There is no immediate rush at Newcastle’s end. While they ideally want to tie Isak down to an extended deal on improved terms, given that increases the likelihood of keeping him longer term, the striker will still have three years remaining on his contract come the summer and is among their highest earners.”
He added that the Magpies will look to reject any summer interest and explained that Isak situation is hardly simple from a financial point of view as Real Sociedad still have a sell-on clause among other financial factors:
“The club insist they are in a strong position to rebuff interest, too,” he continued.
“There is still around £30million ($38.8m) of amortisation costs regarding Isak, plus Real Sociedad inserted a sell-on clause in his deal, so Newcastle would need an astronomical offer to even contemplate selling the striker — beyond the fact he is world-class and borderline priceless to them from a footballing perspective.”
For now, Newcastle fans can take comfort in the club’s consistent messaging about keeping their star striker, while Liverpool supporters will have to wait and see if the club’s recruitment team can find a creative solution to bring one of Europe’s most coveted forwards to Anfield.
Read More: Alexander Isak makes major transfer admission: “It’s been written…”
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