Liverpool transfer target Alexander Isak has been named in the Sweden squad for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo, where he could return to action for the first time since last season.
Isak has been training alone at Newcastle this summer in a bid to force an exit. He has been left out of fixtures against Aston Villa and Liverpool and won't feature against Leeds United at the weekend either, but Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has named Isak in his national team squad.
By the time Sweden takes to the field, the transfer window will have closed. Isak has until 7pm UK time on Monday, September 1 to convince his current employer to let him leave.
Tomasson spoke last week about Isak's professionalism, sticking up for the striker in what was a hint that he would be picking the player for the national team.
"First of all: Alex is an extremely professional player," Tomasson told Fotbollskanalen. "A fantastic character and personality. I have spoken to Alex a lot during this period.
"Situations like this are quite complex. These are extremely complex environments that the players operate in. I’m sure it will work out in the end, but you have to know the whole picture before you draw conclusions. That’s always a good tip.
Alexander Isak.
Alexander Isak. (Image: Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images)
"I don’t think we know [the whole story]. I don’t know the whole picture either. It’s quite normal because there’s a lot of politics in a football club.
"But one thing is for sure: Alex is a great guy and very professional. We should all be very careful about drawing conclusions because we don’t know the bigger picture."
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was asked about Isak meeting with the North East side's Saudi Arabian hierarchy after his side lost 3-2 to Liverpool earlier in the week. But he insisted that he was not privy to what had been said or what the outcome was.
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"I'm not aware of that but I've not been party to talks on this for a long time now," Howe explained in his post-match press conference at St James' Park.
"So, I've been preparing the team, giving all my energy to the players that want to play for Newcastle. I think that's where my energy is best.
"I'm not party to the talks that have been happening, so I've got no idea where that stands."
Liverpool made a bid worth around $148 million (£110 million) for Isak earlier in the summer but Newcastle has not offered encouragement yet that a second offer would be worth submitting. It would need to sign at least one replacement first.