Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has been a standout player in the Premier League this season.
Eddie Howe is bound to feel like his Newcastle United side is unstoppable when Alexander Isak is firing. The Swede has scored 17 goals in the Premier League which has been bettered by only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah.
Talk of Isak’s future has made the rounds in recent months after Arsenal registered an interest. However, reports suggest Isak will cost at least £120m – a fee that the Gunners a likely not able to afford.
Meanwhile, Newcastle want to hand Isak a new contract to deter any interested parties but his demands will make it tough to tie him down.
READ MORE: Who is Alexander Isak? Age, Height, Family, Nationality, Roots
Isak wants to play Champions League football. The Magpies can still qualify for it and are in a good position to do so thanks to the English club’s impressive performances in Europe this season.
The Swede also wants to become Newcastle’s top earner. The title is currently held by Bruno Guimaraes thanks to his £160,000-a-week wage but could soon be stripped of it if Isak signs a new deal.
Reports in January suggested that Isak wanted Newcastle’s number nine shirt if he were to stay at the club. The 25-year-old has now gone public on his official stance on taking the number.
Isak may not take Newcastle’s number nine shirt
For Isak to take the number, one thing needs to happen before it can come to fruition. Callum Wilson, Newcastle’s current number nine, needs to either leave the club or agree to change the number so Isak can take it.
Wilson is one of eight Newcastle players out of contract at the end of the season and there has been no official decision on whether he will stay at the club for another year.
Talking on the Adopted Geordies podcast, Newcastle Hall of Famer Rob Lee asked Isak whether he would want to take the number nine shirt if it was available.
“I would probably stay with 14, yeah,” he said.
“I think it’s a difficult one because I’ve been successful with 14, and it would probably not be an easy decision.”
Isak was previously asked about the shirt by Alan Shearer to which he confirmed that he was happy to continue wearing the number 14 but understood what it meant to the fans. He previously wore his now iconic number 14 at Borussia Dortmund and AIK.
Newcastle must give Alexander Isak what he wants
If Newcastle were to sell Isak, he would be an incredibly difficult player to replace. Even if Howe and Paul Mitchell got the lump sum of money they are asking for it would be a difficult task.
Shearer called Isak ‘world-class’ following his brace in Newcastle’s win against Southampton in January. The Swede also recently broke a club record for goals in consecutive Premier League games during Newcastle’s red-hot form.
Should the Magpies qualify for Champions League football, Isak will be hailed as one of the true difference-makers that helped them return to Europe’s premier competition so quickly.
Isak is focused on success at Newcastle this season and is reportedly not thinking about a new deal at all. Talks over a new deal are set to begin at the end of the season when it becomes more clear what competitions Newcastle will be playing in next season.
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