Latest Liverpool transfer news as Alan Shearer has hit back at comparisons between the Alexander Isak and Trent Alexander-Arnold sagas
Alexander Isak celebrates after scoring a goal for Newcastle United
Alexander Isak wants out of Newcastle United with Liverpool targeting a move
(Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Newcastle United icon Alan Shearer has hit out at comparisons between Trent Alexander and Alexander Isak as 'stupid' following Liverpool interest in the latter. The Magpies are at the centre of a bitter transfer saga after the Sweden international expressed his desire to leave St James' Park.
The 25-year-old hasn't trained with his club teammates since the beginning of pre-season and has since been banished from the first-team after expressing a desire to explore his options. The Reds have already had a bid rejected for Isak, worth around £110 million, after testing the resolve of their Premier League rivals.
Toward the end of last season, Liverpool dominated the conversation after the fury surrounding Alexander-Arnold's exit when he signed for Real Madrid on a free transfer.
On the Rest is Football podcast, released on Wednesday, host Gary Lineker read out a listener question contrasting the Alexander-Arnold and Isak sagas, suggesting Shearer's stance on the latter is different because it concerns his club.
"What a stupid question that is, you can't compare them at all," Shearer said.
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"Trent was a kid who was brought up Liverpool, he came to the end of his contract. He didn't refuse to play, he didn't refuse to train and then was well within his rights to leave.
"Now, Isak's got three years left on his contract, it doesn't take a genius to work that out does it? Come on."
"I think Liverpool fans' problem is that he (Alexander-Arnold) is a Liverpool lad and they feel like they didn't get a monster transfer fee for him," Lineker said.
"Obviously they did get something in the end, £8-10 million whatever it was, from Real Madrid because they wanted him to play in the Club World Cup."
However, Shearer was keen to stress the differences between the two high-profile stories in the Premier League.
The top-flight icon offered insight into his encounter with Isak recently and was shocked by what has unfolded during the summer.
"I sat down with him what, five or six months ago, Alex. I didn't see this in him to be honest," he continued.
"I thought he was a manager's dream to be honest, the way he spoke and the way he, sort of, was talking about himself and the club and his life and everything else.
"So obviously something has massively upset him and we don't know that, but those two circumstances, Trent and Alexander Isak, are totally different."
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