Newcastle United have held talks over a deal for Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, but are being met with resistance from the Premier League side.
With Alexander Isak still making himself unavailable, Eddie Howe must look to sign a new striker this summer.
While the 47-year-old insists the striker is to replace Callum Wilson, he will surely have the feeling in the back of his mind that Isak could leave Newcastle United if a late bid comes in from Liverpool.
Having missed out on the likes of Joao Pedro, Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Ekitike, Newcastle have turned their attentions elsewhere and have identified Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen as a target.
Newcastle have been quoted £60million for Strand Larsen, and the feeling is that the Magpies are just £5million off that valuation. However, an all too familiar problem has arisen which has caused problems for a lot of their business this summer.
Jorgen Strand Larsen warms up before a Premier League game between Wolves and Manchester City.
Photo by Brett Patzke – Wolverhampton Wanderers FC/Wolves via Getty Images
Wolves need to sign a replacement before selling Jorgen Strand Larsen
Strand Larsen enjoyed a positive 2024/25 campaign with Wolves, scoring 14 Premier League goals to earn himself a permanent move to the Midlands earlier this summer.
Despite his recent permanent move, Newcastle want to sign him, but have been met with resistance from Wolves, who are keen to keep hold of the Norwegian due to his quality.
According to The Athletic, Newcastle have been told by Wolves that they wish to sign a replacement first, but there are doubts over whether they would even be happy to sanction the sale of a player who has joined so recently.
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Newcastle felt the same resistance from Brentford, who are reluctant sellers of striker Yoane Wissa this summer. The DR Congo international was seen back in Brentford training despite deleting all mention of the Bees on his Instagram account.
Newcastle United’s striker search gets more worrying each day
With just over a week left in the transfer window, the worry about what will happen in the final days is starting to creep in for Newcastle fans.
While the likes of Alexander Sorloth have been linked, there are no talks happening for the player. Additionally, Eddie Howe confirmed no deals were close for Newcastle, so there is clearly still a lot of work to be done in negotiations.
Newcastle are also loaning Matt Targett to Middlesbrough, so Howe is now short at left-back ahead of a hectic season. He could be forced to look for another left-back before the window closes.
That replacement for Wilson needs to be found, and quickly because Newcastle are at risk of falling behind if they are forced to play without a natural striker up front until January.