Newcastle's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were handed a boost on Thursday.
Newcastle's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were handed a boost on Thursday.
Newcastle United chiefs hope that qualifying for the Champions League will quash any talk of Alexander Isak leaving this summer.
There was a tense moment in Sunday's post-game Press conference in which Eddie Howe was asked if he could guarantee Isak would be wearing a black and white shirt next season. Howe stated that he could not "guarantee" that any player would definitely be at the club moving forward from this campaign but he did so with an air of caution.
Chronicle Live understands that Toon top brass are confident that dining at Europe's top table next season will be quickly dash talk of Isak's future. And even if Newcastle did end up in the Europa League if they fail to beat Everton and other results don't go their way, contract talks are still in the diary between Isak's representatives and Newcastle bosses this summer.
So far Isak has made the right noises when asked about his future on Tyneside, insisting he was only focused on winning the Carabao Cup earlier in the season when asked if Champions League would be a deal breaker. Isak said in March: "About my future, it's nothing really I think about. I've said many times during a season - just focus on the job - and now is probably the worst time to think about anything else, so all of our focus is just bringing the trophy back to Newcastle.
"I've said I'm not really thinking about the summer, but yes, that'll probably be a talking point once the season is finished."
Sources close to the United camp have told Chronicle Live that they see qualification for the Champions League as the ideal way to ease any nerves. Isak is still a player Arsenal would like to sign while Chelsea and Liverpool have also monitored his situation closely in the last 12 months.
Howe had said on Sunday: "I never make those guarantees about any player. It's not to do with Alex's future, I'd be foolish to sit here and do anything like that.
"We want to keep our strongest players. I have said that as long as I've sat in this seat. We have to keep our strongest players and bring in more good players to make us stronger because of the ambition of the club and everybody connected with it is long-term success, and that's the only way we can try to get that."