The ECHO breaks down the Alexander Isak transfer saga – and how it has come to this for the Liverpool target
Alexander Isak has made it clear he wants to leave Newcastle United and sign for Liverpool before the transfer window closes on Monday, September 1(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s the transfer saga that has dominated the agenda all summer. But with just four days left of the window, there is still so much uncertainty over Alexander Isak’s long-term future.
Liverpool have made the Sweden international their No.1 target after selling Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez but Newcastle United are determined to keep hold of the player who has scored 44 Premier League goals in his last two campaigns on Tyneside.
Isak has established himself as one of the most deadly frontmen in the Premier League during his time in the North East but has made it clear he now sees his future away from St James’ Park and has not played in either of their two fixtures this season, which included Monday’s night remarkable 3-2 win for Arne Slot’s Reds.
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Here, the ECHO examines the current state of play, how it has come to this and what needs to happen for a British transfer record to be completed before the September 1 deadline.
Alexander Isak transfer timeline
July 14: Isak is confirmed as having flown with the team to Newcastle’s pre-season training camp in Austria.
July 15: Reports emerge that Liverpool have contacted the Magpies making clear they are willing to pay £120m for Isak.
July 19: Isak plays no part in 4-0 friendly defeat to Celtic. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says he “respects that a player’s career is short”.
July 24: Isak is left off the club’s pre-season tour of Singapore and South Korea, with minor groin injury cited.
Late July: Isak returns to training by using the facilities of former club, Real Sociedad.
August 1: Liverpool see £110m bid rejected. Newcastle widely reported to want closer to £150m.
Early August: Isak continues to trains alone at the Magpies’ base, away from his colleagues.
August 6: Isak is ordered to stay away from family BBQ arranged by Howe at club’s training facility.
August 16: Newcastle kick off Premier League campaign with goalless draw at Aston Villa. Isak does not feature.
August 19: Isak releases statement accusing club of breaking promises and says trust is lost. The Magpies respond by saying requirements to facilitate sale have not yet been met.
August 25: Key figures from Newcastle owners PIF meet with Isak at his Northumberland home unsuccessfully to try and persuade a change of heart. PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is part of the delegation.
August 25: Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-2 with a 100th-minute Rio Ngumoha winner. Isak is reportedly at St James’ Park to watch on but plays no part.
Newcastle United recruitment woes
Having seen sporting director Paul Mitchell leave after a year at the club in July, recruitment work is being overseen by Eddie Howe’s nephew, Andy, and it has so far proven to be a baptism of fire.
Joao Pedro and Liam Delap both chose Chelsea, the former after a breakthrough had been made with Brighton, before Liverpool nudged ahead of the Magpies for Hugo Ekitikein July, signing the France Under-21 international for £79m after Newcastle had a bid around £70m turned down prior to the Reds’ move.
Benjamin Sesko had been viewed as the blue-chip replacement at £73m from RB Leipzig but the Slovenia international was also courted by Manchester United and eventually opted for Old Trafford over St James’ Park.
The ongoing efforts to bolster the attacking ranks after Anthony Elanga’s addition go on for Newcastle, who have endured a very difficult summer.
Who are Newcastle United targeting now?
Newcastle have been chasing Yoane Wissa at Brentford all summer but, like Liverpool with Isak, have so far been met resistance from the west Londoners, despite the forward’s unwillingness to turn out presently at the Gtech Community Stadium.
That deal drags on but the Magpies have also seen two bids rejected for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jorgen Strand Larsen. An initial £50m offer was turned down before a return at £55m was also rebuffed, despite the Norwegian reportedly making it clear he sees his future at St James’ Park.
At the time of writing, the North East club are awaiting a major breakthrough on both deals and have been linked with a loan move for Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, who is keen to leave Stamford Bridge.
But last night (August 28), it emerged that Newcastle had struck an agreement worth a reported £77m for Stuttgart’s Germany Under-21 striker Nick Woltemade.
The forward is said to be set for a Friday medical after a deal was reached in what represents a major breakthrough for the Magpies’ recruitment department.
Landing two of those four targets might be the key that unlocks this stalemate.
Liverpool’s stance on Alexander |Isak
Key figures at Liverpool have been careful to avoid speaking publicly or privately on this particular situation, feeling their input only amplifies what is already an unhealthy amount of noise in their efforts to land a top striker.
The Reds tabled a flat offer of £110m at the start of August having reportedly told their counterparts they would be willing to bid £120m about three weeks earlier.
That bid, oddly, has been criticised by some as a derisory opening gambit, despite the fact that no other footballer in British football has ever gone for a fee that high without add-ons.
The Reds gauging the temperature of Newcastle’s emphatic response, have since kept their counsel and stepped away, awaiting further encouragement to return to the negotiating table. Newcastle’s reply has been interpreted by some as a need to secure replacements before they reluctantly acquiesce to the demands of Isak.
Prior to Isak’s inflammatory public statement, via his Instagram story, it’d been suggested by some familiar with the Newcastle operation that an agreement might eventually be found at £130m.
Liverpool’s month-long waiting game goes on, for now.
What Arne Slot has said
“I think the story should be about Hugo Ekitike scoring another goal for us,” Slot said when asked directly about Isak on Monday evening. “He has been three games with us now, scored three goals, impacted the games he played. This is not the place to talk about anything other than that.”
Asked by the ECHO last week about whether he feels sufficiently stocked up top, Slot said: “It depends how you want to look at it. If you want to add Florian Wirtz as an attacking option then you can make it five.
“So yeah, we’ve sold Darwin and brought in Hugo. Lucho (Diaz) has gone, you can maybe see Florian as a replacement for that. And, yes, we all know what happened to Diogo (Jota).
“If you look at it like this, maybe we haven’t [got enough] but Jeremie Frimpong, when he is fit, is definitely an option to play as a winger as well, so then we end up at six forwards. I think I said it already, we have six players that can play in three positions. That is the answer, yes, I’m happy.”
That question came after the Liverpool head coach had been asked about the Isak pursuit in his open press conference, to which he replied: “What I can tell you is not a lot. And if someone else asks that question, it’s going to be the same answer.
“As I’ve said so many times and it’s been shown on Friday, I could impact the game with who we had on the bench. Federico [Chiesa] came in and scored a goal. So it would be much nicer for us to talk about the players who we have but I understand you have to ask the question.”
What Eddie Howe has said
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has been forced to deal with an avalanche of Isak-related questions since that night in Glasgow back on July 19.
The Magpies manager has largely answered with diplomacy, garnering further admiration from the club’s fanbase while also being careful not to rock the boat with the player and his representatives.
Howe was quizzed about the situation before and after each of the club’s three friendlies in the Far East as well their Sela Cup games against Atletico Madrid and Espanyol at home and after the loss to Celtic, all before the two pre-match and post-match press conferences for their two Premier League fixtures to date.
The former Bournemouth boss has rarely appeared as though the ongoing questions have started to get to him, to his credit, but it must be a situation he can’t wait to find a resolution for, whatever it may yet be.
Speaking on Monday, Howe said: “I’ve not been party to talks on this for a long time now. I’ve been preparing the team and giving my energy to players who want to play for Newcastle. That’s where my energy is best served.
“I have no idea where that (Isak) stands at this second. The ideal from Newcastle’s side is we want clarity, we want to move forward. We want the narrative to change.
“We are in the start of the season now and we have to get results and try to focus on what we can control. We’ve given two really good performances and taken just one point. That’s tough for us to take.
“The quality of Alex would have made a difference in the two games, there’s no denying that. But that said the team functioned well and the performance doesn’t happen without every part of the team functioning well.”