Another Alexander Isak? ‘Very clever’ Newcastle gem goes public with ‘big club’ Real Madrid desire

After Alexander Isak went public with his desire to leave Newcastle United in the summer before eventually joining Liverpool, another of the Magpies’ players has now openly said that his dream is to play for a “big club” and has namechecked Real Madrid.

The long, drawn-out transfer saga involving Isak, Liverpool and Newcastle finally came to an end on the final day of the summer transfer window. Liverpool paid Premier League rivals Newcastle £125million (€144.4m, $169m) for Isak, who eventually got his wish to play for the defending Premier League champions.

It came after Isak publicly accused Newcastle of breaking promises and refused to join Eddie Howe’s squad.

Now, another of Newcastle’s players, although of a much lesser profile, has openly revealed his desire to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Trevan Sanusi joined Newcastle from Birmingham City in September 2023 and left on loan for Lorient in Ligue 1 in the summer of 2025.

The 18-year-old English winger signed a new deal with Newcastle before leaving last season’s Carabao Cup winners on a loan deal.

The teenager is looking forward to doing well in Ligue 1, but he has gone public with his long-term desire to turn out for Madrid or Barcelona.

Sanusi told Le Télégramme: “Lorient was on my list of possible destinations. I didn’t really know the club’s history, but I knew that Yoane Wissa played there.

“He’s a great player, and I’m all the more excited to have this opportunity to experience Ligue 1 with FC Lorient.”

The winger added: “It’s a big new step to take, for sure. But I’m used to being outplayed and pushed upwards since my youth.

“I feel ready to take on the challenge of Ligue 1. It’s a very physical league, and I know it’s an aspect of my game I still need to improve.

“But it’s also the league of talents, and that’s in line with what I want to show on the pitch.”

Sanusi continued: “I just want to play football and reach the highest level possible. Why not Real Madrid or FC Barcelona, ​​or any big club where I can showcase my skills and personality on the pitch?”

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What has Eddie Howe said about Trevan Sanusi

Real Madrid are arguably the world’s biggest club, and playing for Los Blancos is a dream for a lot of footballers.

Sanusi is no different, and it will be interesting to see how the teenager progresses in the coming years.

Madrid are always on the lookout for new and talented young players, and if the Newcastle-owned winger does well in France, then Los Blancos could well take a shine to him.

Sanusi is rated highly at Newcastle, with first-team manager Eddie Howe raving about him on more than one occasion.

Sanusi trained with the senior Newcastle squad in the 2024 pre-season and also played in friendly matches against Hull City and Urawa Red Diamonds.

On August 1, 2024, Howe told The Shields Gazette: “He’s definitely got talent. He’s very clever with the ball, he’s got lots of tricks in his bank that he can pull out from time to time.

“I’m excited by him, I think he’s got the basics of a really good framework to build from and it’s going to be up to us and him to develop those skills and talents.”

In January 2025, Howe handed Sanusi his Newcastle debut in a 3-1 win against Bromley in the third round of the FA Cup, with the winger coming on as a substitute in the 69^th minute at St. James’ Park.

Howe told NewcastleWorld after the match: “Tre (Sanusi) hasn’t been consistently training with us.

“He’s been mainly with the under-23s but I’ve been watching those games and getting regular feedback there.

“I think he had a good pre-season, went back (to the youth setup) and has come strong again in recent weeks.

“Today will be a big moment for him. I’d love to see him get more opportunities but that will have to depend on how others are playing.”

Howe added: “He’s got standout qualities. He’s confident, you saw that today when he came on.

“He will always front people up one vs one and try to beat them. Of course, he needs to add that physicality that he’ll need to survive. People will target him.

“He has a nice way of riding tackles and really good balance. Like most young players, there’s stuff to improve. His end product needs to get better. We will continue to work with him on that.”

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