Furious Newcastle give Alexander Isak ultimatum after Liverpool target jets off to surprise destination

Newcastle United are ‘angry’ with how the Alexander Isak saga is playing out and have sent a demand to the striker amid his dream of joining Liverpool, according to a report.

TEAMtalk exclusively revealed last week that Isak wants to leave Newcastle as he does not think the club can match his ambitions of winning the biggest trophies. Isak has not travelled for Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia and the club initially told reporters this was due to a minor thigh issue.

But sources told TEAMtalk that his scan came back clear and that he actually stayed in England to explore a move away from St James’ Park, with our reporting subsequently backed up by the likes of Fabrizio Romano, Craig Hope, Ben Jacobs and Alex Crook.

Isak has been linked with clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Al-Hilal but is prioritising a move to Premier League champions Liverpool.

The 25-year-old has provisionally agreed a five-year contract with Liverpool that includes the option for an extra 12 months.

Liverpool can afford to sign Isak with PSR ramifications but need to sell players first. They kickstarted that process by selling Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for €75million (£65m).

According to the Chronicle, Newcastle chiefs are ‘angry at the prospect of waiting around for Liverpool to drum up the funds to sign their star man’.

Arne Slot’s side are hoping to offload Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa to give them the money required to smash the British transfer record – again – on Isak.

Liverpool broke that record earlier this summer by signing Florian Wirtz in a £116m deal, but Isak will cost more. Liverpool hope to engineer a deal at £120-130m, though Newcastle will demand £150m.

Newcastle still want to keep the Sweden ace by tying him down to a new contract, but if they must sell then they want to do this sooner rather than later.

The Magpies do not want their season overshadowed by a long-running saga and must find a top replacement if Isak leaves.

The report adds that Newcastle have given Isak an ultimatum, telling him to report back for pre-season training ahead of their game against either Espanyol on August 8 or Atletico Madrid on August 9.

If Isak fails to return, then he will risk sanctions by the club.

As per various sources including Sky Sports, The Times and The Athletic, the goalscorer has surprisingly decided to train alone at former club Real Sociedad amid uncertainty over his future.

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Alexander Isak in Spain as Liverpool plot £150m deal

It was thought that Isak would stay on Tyneside to potentially hold crunch talks with Liverpool and Newcastle, but he has jetted off to Spain to ensure he is on top form for the upcoming season – wherever he may be playing.

TEAMtalk revealed earlier on Thursday that Newcastle feel disrespected by Isak’s actions as they have thrown the club’s pre-season preparations into disarray.

We understand Liverpool are ready to pay £150m for Isak, viewing him as one of the best strikers in the world. Their quiet summer in 2024 means they can sign Isak even after adding the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong to their ranks in recent months.

Newcastle have set their sights on RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko to replace Isak, though they are facing intense competition from Manchester United for the Slovenian.

Sesko is leaning towards joining Man Utd, despite the fact they cannot offer any European football.

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