Eddie Howe drops bombshell on Alexander Isak hiatus as Liverpool chase spectacular Newcastle raid

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has discussed the Alexander Isak saga in his latest press conference as Liverpool look to complete a sensational deal for the striker.

TEAMtalk exclusively revealed on Thursday morning that Isak wants to explore a move away from Newcastle this summer as he has been left underwhelmed by their transfer business and does not think the club can match his ambitions. Isak wants to win major trophies such as the Premier League and Champions League and feels joining a new club is the best way to do this.

TEAMtalk understands his scan on a minor thigh issue came back clear, despite Newcastle initially claiming that the injury was the reason he had not travelled for the pre-season tour of Asia.

Our reporting has since been backed up by the likes of Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs, Craig Hope and Alex Crook.

Liverpool are in pole position to sign Isak, despite the Sweden star also being linked with Manchester United and Chelsea as well as being offered a remarkable £600,000-a-week contract by Al-Hilal.

Liverpool have already broken the British transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz in a £116m deal this summer, while also bringing in Hugo Ekitike via a £79m deal.

But they are in a very healthy financial position and can sell the likes of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott to finance a swoop for Isak without any PSR ramifications.

After Newcastle’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in Singapore on Saturday, Howe was asked about Isak once again.

The Englishman was quizzed on whether there is the potential for Isak to join the pre-season tour at a later date. As per numerous journalists including Hope and Romano, Howe said there is ‘no chance’ that will happen.

This suggests Newcastle will either sell Isak to Liverpool in the coming weeks or sanction the player for refusing to sign a new contract and then asking to speak with interested clubs.

Howe said there is ‘no change’ on Isak’s situation before adding about the wider window: “We’re not deluded. We know we need to bring players in. We’ve known that.

“We know what we wanted. It’s been a challenging window.”

Newcastle have missed out on several transfer targets this summer, including Ekitike, Joao Pedro and James Trafford, and they are now faced with the prospect of their star striker leaving, too.

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Transfer speculation ‘not easy’ for Alexander Isak – Eddie Howe

On Saturday, Howe said of the Isak debacle: “There’s things going on behind the scenes. He will be aware he’s in the news every day and I’m sure that’s not easy for anyone.

“Conversations that happen between Alex and the club or Alex and myself will stay private. We do share a really good relationship with him. He’s been magnificent for us since he’s joined. He’s very popular in the dressing room and we’d love him to continue his journey at Newcastle.”

Howe admitted that Newcastle are not in contract talks with the player’s camp. That could happen at ‘a later date’, but Isak has so far been unwilling to extend his deal as he knows there is strong interest in his services from elsewhere.

It emerged earlier on Sunday that the 25-year-old became ‘furious’ when former Newcastle sporting director Paul Mitchell did not offer him a bumper new contract last season, and this is when he started to ‘check out’.

Liverpool are planning a record-breaking offer for Isak that could be worth around £130m, though Newcastle want £150m before selling.

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