Liverpool are waiting to see if Newcastle can secure a replacement for Alexander Isak before making their next move in the transfer market.
The Reds have made Isak a top target as they look to bolster their striking options, but the Magpies have so far stood firm on his exit.
Newcastle are trying to sign Benjamin Sesko, and if the Slovenian picks the Toon over Manchester United, then Liverpool could be in business.
Either way, it has been claimed that Isak has likely played his last game for Newcastle after kicking up a stink this summer.
Magpies’ supporters have been upset with the Swede’s behaviour after he did not travel on tour with the rest of his teammates and subsequently headed to former club Real Sociedad to train alone.
Perhaps the most prominent Newcastle fan in the world, the opinion of Alan Shearer always carries weight where the Geordies’ are concerned. And having kept his counsel so far, Shearer has now given his take on Isak‘s saga with Liverpool.
Alexander Isak gestures to the crowd at St James' Park during Newcastle United's Premier League match against Everton.
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
Alan Shearer urges Newcastle to cash in on Alexander Isak
Isak is Newcastle’s most prolific and sought-after goal scorer since Shearer himself. A proud Geordie, the former England striker is loved on Tyneside.
However, as Michael Owen revealed in 2019, Shearer once almost joined Liverpool himself. The allure of Anfield is simply too strong.
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It was always going to be interesting to hear the pundit’s take on Isak, and speaking to Gary Lineker and Micah Richards on The Rest Is Football, Shearer finally gave it.
“They wouldn’t get Dan Burn for £110m, let alone Isak!” roared the 54-year-old, to the delight of Richards.
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“I’m ok with the situation,” he then surprisingly admitted. “I thought he might have stayed for another season and then this would have happened next summer. But it is what it is.
“If he can’t be persuaded to stay, then if someone offers Newcastle what they want then they’ve got to take that. Ultimately you just say ‘thank you very much for the great memories, off you go.'”
Shearer ‘not angry’ with Isak
Shearer has met Isak plenty in the past, having sat down with him for an interview with BBC Sport in January.
Maybe knowing the Sweden international personally has allowed him to soften his approach, as when asked for his feelings on the situation by Lineker, Shearer admitted that he was not angry with Isak.
“I’m not angry at all towards him, I understand how football works, I know what happens in and around the game,” he answered. “I understand his mentality. If I like it and understand it are two different things.
“Obviously, Liverpool have been into him or his agent, I just thought it might have happened next year. If it really is impossible for Eddie to turn him around and he says no, and it sounds like that is the case, he wants to be out now, you get your big money in and you get other people in, hopefully beforehand, and you move on.”
Hopefully sensible heads prevail at Newcastle and they listen to their greatest ever player. There is no sense in having an unhappy player around.