The Alexander Isak transfer saga makes everyone involved look badplaceholder image
The Alexander Isak transfer saga makes everyone involved look bad | Getty Images
If Liverpool want to sign Alexander Isak they will need to hope that Newcastle United start to make moves in the transfer window.
Alexander Isak remains an isolated figure at Newcastle United, entirely of his own doing as he looks to force a dream move to Liverpool.
The 25-year old released a statement claiming that there were broken promises over being allowed to leave the club this summer only for Newcastle to dispute this claim in their own rebuttal. Eddie Howe spoke about talks between the club and Isak, however, it looks like the Sweden international is digging his heels in until he gets his way. There have been murmurs of a second bid from Liverpool but, as yet, nothing official has emerged.
What is the latest on Liverpool’s interest in Alexander Isak?
Speaking on the BBC Football Daily podcast, the senior football reporter Sami Mokbel has provided an update on the Isak to Liverpool saga naming the three conditions that need to be met for any deal to become a possibility: “I don't think we're any closer to seeing a resolution, but those talks with Alexander Isak, I'm told from Newcastle's perspective, didn't end the way they wanted them. I think the player still wants to leave St. James' Park. He still wants to go to Liverpool and Newcastle still have an almighty mess to clear up basically.
“For that deal to happen, I think I said this to both of you last week, there are three steps or conditions that need to be met. They need to get two strikers in and then Liverpool need to get to a number that Newcastle see fit to sell Alexander Isak. All of those stipulations and conditions at the moment are going to be very, very difficult to be met. Newcastle's appeared to be no closer to getting two strikers in. And then even if they do, are Liverpool going to get to the 130 or to the reported 150 million pound deal that Newcastle want to part with him? There's still a lot of obstacles that Liverpool need to overcome here if you are to get Alexander Isak.
“But now that game is out of the way from Monday. Nothing was going to happen before then. We were all informed about that and we all said it was going to be a process that started on the Tuesday to the Monday. We've started that process now. So it will be interesting to see.”
Why have Newcastle United left it so late to sort Alexander Isak situation?
The reality is, nothing has changed since the transfer window first opened. Newcastle released Callum Wilson and knew that they needed to sign a backup option for Isak, never mind a striker who could replace him. That they would have known this for some time and long before the window opened only makes their failure to get anyone all the more staggering.
It’s almost like a conspiracy in that they’ve left it to the last minute purely so that they can justify not letting Isak leave, pointing to their lack of striking options as a reason for turning down what is still a record offer. Given that they tried to sign Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and various other strikers earlier in the window, this theory can safely be put to bed. Newcastle are in talks to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen, but they will need another with Brentford showing no indication of wanting to part ways with Yoane Wissa.
Continue Reading