The Alexander Isak saga involving Liverpool and Newcastle United is still ongoing.
The Sweden international, who is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, could be on the move in this window.
Isak was left out of Newcastle’s pre-season tour squad after he told the club that he wanted to explore a move away.
Liverpool then tabled a big bid for Isak, but the Toon rejected it out of hand, and he has been kept away from the squad since.
Now, there is a fresh update.
Newcastle United tried to hold new contract talks with Alexander Isak this week
Liverpool remain determined to sign Alexander Isak this summer.
Newcastle United have been reluctant to sell him all window, and the fact that they have faced rejection from many of their striker targets complicates things even further.
Isak’s stance is clear – he wants to leave the Magpies and join Liverpool, but Eddie Howe’s side have not given up just yet.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Newcastle tried to offer Isak a new contract earlier this week, to keep him at the club beyond the end of this transfer window.
However, the Swedish striker had no interest in signing a new deal.
Romano said in a video on his YouTube channel: “Isak, I’m told, new thing to say tonight, that he said in a very clear way to Newcastle again this week that he is not willing to sign a new contract at the club.
“So, Newcastle tried again earlier this week to offer him a new contract, but the player, at the moment, guys, we never know in football. Maybe this could change in the next days or weeks, and I will be here to tell you because our job is to tell you what’s going on, not to predict the future.
“But in this moment, Alexander Isak has no intention to sign a new contract at Newcastle. Alexander Isak wants to go to Liverpool, and so this story remains absolutely on. It’s not over. Follow that one, because the story again is really, really on.”
What should Newcastle United do with Alexander Isak now?
The Isak situation at Newcastle is just not sustainable.
The Toon cannot end the transfer window with their striker unhappy and training on his own – they either need to find a way to extend his deal or sell him.
After talks this week, it is clear that the former is not happening, so Newcastle’s priority now has to be to sign a top-quality replacement.
Once that’s done, they should welcome Liverpool back for talks and strike a deal for the highest possible fee before the window shuts.
It’s a real shame the Isak situation has come to this, but the best thing for all parties would be a separation in the coming weeks.