Alexander Isak may well have overplayed his hand at Newcastle United this summer in his attempts to join Liverpool.
PIF broke tradition to respond to Isak’s statement in which he said he cannot continue at Newcastle United.
Indeed, the Newcastle United owners rarely make statements so quickly but were forced into action when Isak broke his silence on Instagram.
Isak wants to join Liverpool but the chances of that appear to be fading rapidly. Things could still change of course but Newcastle have confirmed they do not expect to see their conditions for a sale being met during what remains of the summer transfer window.
The fact that Newcastle have tried to replace Isak would suggest they were at least exploring the idea of letting him go. The situation, however, may have changed behind the scenes earlier this week.
Miguel Delaney has shared some interesting insight.
Eddie Howe and Alexander Isak speak during Newcastle United's Premier League game against Leicester City.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Newcastle United make Alexander Isak U-turn
Writing in his Inside Football Newsletter, Delaney revealed that Newcastle had been willing to be “pragmatic” over Isak’s future.
Indeed, various reports have previously suggested that if the club had two forwards, they could have sold the Swede if Liverpool were to meet their valuation of around £150million.
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Luke Edwards of The Daily Telegraph wrote on X earlier this week: “Well the stance has been pretty clear. Pay £150m if we sign two strikers this summer – one of which has to be of equal quality to Isak – and maybe we’ll do this dance.”
Delaney, meanwhile, said: “The truth is that players agitate [for a move] because, in the words of one insider, “they know it generally works”.
“Clubs don’t want to keep someone that is causing problems, and ultimately want full value. That’s one reason it has been a distinctive theme of this summer, with Brentford’s Yoane Wissa offering a mirror of Isak.
“The strategy is often described as “player power”, but it’s actually because their power is surprisingly limited. They only have brief periods of leverage, as Isak may find if he is still at Newcastle next Tuesday.”
He added: “The mistake that Isak has made is in provoking more emotion in a case that had previously been mostly business. Newcastle were willing to be pragmatic. Now, their pride is stinging. Liverpool are currently highly unlikely to get their man.”
When Alexander Isak could play for Newcastle United again
The transfer window is still open of course, so there remains a chance Isak could leave. It will be interesting to see if Liverpool bid again after Monday night’s huge Premier League clash between the two sides.
However, as it stands, Newcastle don’t expect Isak to play again until the transfer window is shut.
That would mean he could return when Newcastle host Wolves on Saturday 13 September, 2025.
While that feels unthinkable at this stage and a lot could still theoretically change, Newcastle could see Isak back in action soon…