Liverpool are keen to sign Alexander Isak and have had a bid rejected but Newcastle United will first need to bring in a replacement.
Alexander Isak has been told he has to ‘earn the right’ to train with Newcastle United again as the striker hopes to complete a move to Liverpool.
What’s been said
The 25-year-old is expected to return to England this week but his St James’ Park future remains precarious. And while Newcastle want Isak to stay at the club, manager Eddie Howe issued a strong statement to the centre-forward.
“You have to earn the right to train with us,” Howe said after a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in South Korea. “We are Newcastle United. The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad - you have to act in the right way. So that is also at play here.
'We will make sure that any player does that to earn the right to train with the group. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal. Of course I'd like him to be (there), but whether he will I don’t know at this moment in time. We have been here with the time difference, preparing for training and for games. Other people have been dealing with that situation back at home.’
Newcastle chase replacement
Liverpool do not currently plan to make another offer for Isak but that could change should Newcastle recruit a replacement. The Magpies are chasing a deal for Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig. The Slovenia international netted 22 goals last season and was omitted from Die Roten Bullen’s squad for their 2-1 friendly defeat by Atalanta amid speculation over his future.
The Daily Mail’s north east correspondent Craig Hope has suggested that ‘the fact that Newcastle are pursuing Benjamin Sesko with such gusto would tell you that they do expect Alexander Isak to move on, or certainly open to that possibility’ this summer. Hope added on his YouTube channel that ‘everything now points to Isak probably having played his last game for the club, but Liverpool need to come back with that offer’. However, Isak will stay at St James’ Park if they do not find a replacement, with Manchester United also battling to sign Sesko.
On the future of Sesko, Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer said: “In Benji's case, several clubs have shown concrete interest, and based on the overall situation, we have decided that he will not play today. But, I would like to emphasise this clearly: That does not mean that he will not play next week either.
"I think we had the same situation with Benji last year. Everyone knows the outcome. So I want to make it clear that he's not heading off to just any club now. Due to the very concrete interest from several clubs, we've decided for today that he won't play."
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