Liverpool target Alexander Isak, who has been ordered to train alone by Newcastle, has been involved in his fair share of transfer stand-offs over the years
Alexander Isak with Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund
Alexander Isak's arrival at Borussia Dortmund didn't go down well with Thomas Tuchel
(Image: TF-Images/Getty Images)
Alexander Isak’s standoff with Newcastle amid Liverpool’s interest is not uncharted territory for the Swedish striker. Having made it clear he wishes to explore a move away from St James’ Park, the Reds have seen a £110million bid rejected by the Magpies.
While Newcastle have repeatedly insisted Isak is not for sale, the 25-year-old has been made to train on his own after missing their pre-season trip to Asia. As it stands, it would be a major surprise if he is part of Eddie Howe’s squad for their season opener at Aston Villa on August 16.
Liverpool remain keen on Isak and could return with a second bid. However, they will not be held to ransom despite offloading Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich and agreeing to sell Darwin Nunez to Al-Hilal. Despite his age, Isak has already been involved in a number of transfer wrangles in his career. Here’s a recap…
Real Madrid U-turn and Tuchel row
As a teenage sensation with AIK Solna in his homeland, Isak was wanted by a string of European heavyweights, including Real Madrid. He agreed terms with the Spanish giants shortly after his 17th birthday, only to have a change of heart.
He instead opted to join Borussia Dortmund due to the German club’s reputation for developing young talent. He told FourFourTwo magazine: "Everyone knows that Borussia is a good club to develop at as a young player because so many of them are in the first-team. I want to play here and I am waiting for my chance, and I'll take it when it comes."
Alexander Isak battles for the ball with Gareth Bale
Isak turned down the chance to sign for Real Madrid(Image: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
However, the only thing his move developed was tension behind the scenes between then-manager Thomas Tuchel and the club’s hierarchy. Tuchel made it clear Isak wasn’t his signing by declaring in a press conference that he’d never heard of the youngster, prompting chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke to apologise to the player.
Tuchel was annoyed that he hadn’t been consulted about the transfer. When asked about Isak, he snapped: "Talk to [Dortmund sporting director] Michael Zorc [about it]."
Tuchel soon left the club but Isak still barely got a look-in as three new coaches arrived in the space of 12 months. A loan spell in the Netherlands with Willem II helped get his career back on track before his move to Real Sociedad for a bargain £7.5m in 2019.
Buyback clause
Despite letting him go relatively cheaply, Dortmund did insert a buy-back clause of around £26m in his sale. With Isak banging in goals for Sociedad, Dortmund considered bringing him back to Signal Iduna Park as a long-term replacement for Erling Haaland.
However, with Isak keen to stay in Spain, Sociedad negotiated a £5m fee with Dortmund to cancel the clause in the summer of 2021. Raising some eyebrows, he said at the time: "I'm fully aware that there is a clause.
"All I can say is that Dortmund is in my past and not in my future. I'm doing very well here, and I'm not thinking about going back at all. I'm only focusing on Real Sociedad at the moment.”
Alexander Isak reacts during the LaLiga Santander match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at Reale Arena
Isak made it clear he didn't want to return to Dortmund
Arsenal interest
With Isak’s stock rising, he was attracting attention from the Premier League, with Arsenal among his admirers. The Gunners attempted to sign him in early 2022 but a deal failed to materialise.
Sociedad sporting director Roberto Olabe addressed the interest in Isak by insisting the club was “well protected” due to his release clause, thought to be around £75m. The perennial runners-up have been chasing a top-class forward ever since, which they have only just secured this summer with the arrival of Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Alexander Isak of Newcastle United applauds the fans as he warms up prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Everton FC at St James' Park on May 25, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Isak's future is up in the air ahead of the new season
Isak forces move
It didn’t take £75m for Newcastle to sign Isak, although there were tense negotiations as they tried to get a deal over the line, eventually paying a club-record £63m fee for his services.
Shortly before the move, Sociedad were still expecting Isak to stay put, with club president Jokin Aperribay telling Spanish media: “We did not expect Isak to leave.”
However, after Isak’s representatives informed Sociedad of their player’s desire to join Newcastle, their hand was forced. Whether a similar scenario unfolds with Liverpool over the next few weeks remains to be seen.