Latest Liverpool transfer news and gossip with an update on the future of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak during a Newcastle United game
Newcastle's Alexander Isak is a transfer target for Liverpool
(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
A fresh update has emerged about Alexander Isak's future amid ongoing interest from Liverpool. The Reds have been heavily linked with signing the Sweden international all summer as speculation about Isak's future continues to dominate headlines.
Liverpool had a £110 million bid rejected by Newcastle United earlier this month for Isak. The ECHO has reported that the Reds do not plan to make a second offer for the 25-year-old as things stand.
Despite this stance, Liverpool are still being linked with signing Isak and Newcastle are being linked with several strikers who are being viewed as potential replacements. Chronicle Live have reported that isak has been told to train alone, away from the Magpies squad and is not expected to feature in their Premier League opener against Aston Villa on Saturday.
The Athletic reporter David Ornstein recently provided an update claiming that Isak has no plans to play for Newcastle again amid interest from Liverpool. Ornstein has provided more detail on Isak's future, including a potential timeline for when a resolution on the transfer saga could emerge.
"Well, it's arguably the biggest story of this summer, and we haven't heard the end of it yet," Ornstein told NBC Sports on Friday.
"The news I broke in the week was that Alexander Isak has no intention to play for Newcastle United again, that's his perspective. In his mind, the Newcastle chapter is over, and even if a deal is not done to secure his departure before the transfer window closes, his mind is not in the place of being reintegrated into Eddie Howe's squad.
"So that is a pretty drastic development in all of this. What we know is that Newcastle have no intention of selling him, they have been clear and consistent in that for some time.
"He is under contract, a very lucrative one, until the summer of 2028. However, they are looking for replacements for the event of him leaving.
"We know that Liverpool have made an offer of £110m, it was rejected immediately and they have not come back since. But their interest is ongoing and they would be ready to if they received encouragement, should Newcastle get their replacements.
"What we also learn now is that despite Newcastle's stance and Alexander Isak seemingly being content and happy at Newcastle toward the end of last season, we now know that two weeks before the end of the season, he told Eddie Howe personally that he wanted to leave this summer.
"He repeated that after the final game of the season against Everton before going back to his native Sweden. This has been rumbling for some time.
"In his mind, he also let Newcastle know about his intentions as long as a year ago, when they said to him there would be no new contracts because of their attempts to comply with Financial Fair Play and Profit & Sustainability.
"Also, the fact that he earns so much already and, at that point, he was under contract until 2028 for four more years. People around Newcastle that I speak to deny that and say that's not true. He was also open, in our mind, to talk about it at the end of the season and maybe even signing a new contract.
"It's got very messy, it's clearly emotional for the fanbase and I respect them hugely. This is a difficult period, but Alexander Isak hasn't played a pre-season friendly, he's not going to be playing for Newcastle at Aston Villa.
"We're going to have to wait and see if something gives on this. Maybe after the teams play, there could be a resolution one way or the other when they face each other on August 25th.
"I can't say which way it's going to go, it feels in the balance and we're going to have to see how it plays out, but he [Isak] certainly wants that move to Liverpool."