Liverpool and Newcastle have been wrangling over a potential transfer of Alexander Isak.
Newcastle clearly do not want to lose their star striker, and are determined to force the Reds into paying £150m if he is to go.
Liverpool fell short of that enormous figure with their opening offer for Isak on Friday.
Having seen the player fail to travel with Newcastle on tour this summer, Liverpool obviously felt his value had dropped, reportedly offering £110m for Isak.
Clearly, this was a little lower than the Magpies would have liked, and although Liverpool are expected to come back in for Isak, the move is very much on hold for the time being.
There is a lot of posturing going on on both sides, with the truth of the matter a little tricky to come by. But as they try and get to the bottom of Liverpool’s ‘lowball’ bid for Isak, Newcastle are coming out with some truly bizarre theories.
Alexander Isak wags his finger during a Premier League match between Newcastle United and Aston Villa at St James' Park.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Newcastle accuse Liverpool of Alexander Isak PR stunt
If you believe Isak is worth £150m, then fair play to you. Because, back in reality, there is no way a 25-year-old striker with one Champions League goal should be fetching this amount.
The £110m offer from Liverpool was a clear message of intent that they are ready to pay a big fee for Isak, but there has to be some negotiation involved.
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From Newcastle’s point of view, they are entitled to reject whatever offer comes their way. But fans online have been quick to paint Liverpool as ‘disrespectful’ for offering under asking price. This is simply bizarre.
Even worse, a report from The Athletic contains the true feelings of Newcastle’s inner circle, with a very strange claim made about the intentions behind Liverpool’s bid.
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They claim that after Liverpool intimated they would pay £120m for Isak, to come in at a lower figure is simply a face-saving exercise.
Incredibly, ‘sources at Newcastle’ believe Liverpool’s bid was simply a way of pandering to Reds’ fans and was never intended to be a serious offer.
Newcastle need to stop being precious
Let’s get one thing clear: Liverpool do not need to offer up a fake British record-breaking transfer offer to appease fans this summer.
Newcastle may be having a terrible time in the transfer market, but it feels like they are rather projecting here.
Liverpool have done superb business, and have even spent over £100m on a player already. They do not need to get fans on board any more than they already are.
Instead, how about the idea that Liverpool’s initial bid was just a way to open the negotiation? This is seemingly a difficult idea to grasp for Newcastle, but just because you value a player at £150m, it does not mean you’re going to get it.
When Liverpool first made an unofficial approach over Isak, the fee involved was said to be £120m. But since then the player has not turned up for tour and has headed abroad to train at his former club. Perhaps those things have lowered his value, and Liverpool simply recognised as much.
Either way, if Liverpool want this negotiation to get back on track, they’re going to need Newcastle to stop being so precious and recognise that the writing is on the wall for Isak at their club.