Newcastle United have rejected a bid from Liverpool for Alexander Isak but the saga is far from over.
It feels like a day doesn’t go by without Newcastle United being bombarded with bad news and the latest came on Friday when Liverpool made their first official bid for Alexander Isak, which was rejected.
Isak’s future has been thrown into the air over the last fortnight, with the striker making it clear he wants to join the Premier League champions.
Liverpool have made their willingness to sign the striker, despite recruiting Hugo Ekitike for £79m ahead of Newcastle, obvious as well.
Isak has been training on his own at Real Sociedad this week, instead of flying to Asia for pre-season.
Isak’s desire to leave is the biggest blow in a terrible transfer window, which has also seen Newcastle miss out on several big targets, like James Trafford and Benjamin Sesko.
However, with three years remaining on Isak’s contract, the Magpies have good leverage and turned down Liverpool’s initial approach, which was said to be worth between £110m-£120m.
That figure falls well short of Newcastle’s £150m valuation but there is no guarantee they’ll even accept a bid that meets their demands.
- Who is Alexander Isak? The striker who burned his Newcastle United reputation to force £125m Liverpool transfer
Newcastle could still turn down Isak bid even if Liverpool match asking price
Though Isak is obviously pushing for an exit and there’s a risk Eddie Howe could be stuck with an unhappy player, Newcastle are maintaining that their star striker is not for sale.
Liverpool are undeterred and, according to Sky Sports’ Mark McAdam, are ‘preparing a second offer.’
Yet, even if the Reds do submit a £150m bid, it’s reported, Newcastle will not accept it unless they have an Isak replacement signed up beforehand.
Newcastle ‘will only sell Isak’ if they have a quality striker through the door first and plan to reject any bid that’s made before that happens, even if their British transfer record-breaking asking price is met.
Who can Newcastle United replace Alexander Isak with?
The biggest issue for Liverpool is that there are perilously few players left on the market who could even come close to Isak’s quality, let alone match it.
That’s likely why Liverpool want him so much after his sensational season and Newcastle are going to struggle getting their suitable replacement signed.
Sesko could have ticked the box, but he’s heading to Manchester United instead and Newcastle surely can’t afford to let Isak leave now. Even for £150m.
Even if the Swede was to stay, Newcastle have hardly strengthened ahead of their Champions League return and already know how hard it is to compete in Europe and domestically.
If they allow Isak to leave, the new season could be a catastrophe.
There are still a few strikers Newcastle could move for, even if fans would rather they be to complement Isak rather than replace him. They include:
- Rodrigo Muniz – Fulham
- Ollie Watkins – Aston Villa
- Yoane Wissa – Brentford
- Nicolas Jackson – Chelsea
- Jorgen Strand Larsen – Wolves
After already missing out on Sesko, Ekitike, Matheus Cunha, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, the quality of strikers left available is dwindling with every new link.
If Newcastle even manage to sign one, they will almost certainly be a big downgrade from Isak.
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