The 2025 summer transfer window was a gruelling one for Newcastle United and saw Alexander Isak leave the club for Liverpool.
Though Newcastle United eventually finished the transfer window with eight new signings after PIF spent a record £260.4m, it will still feel like a bit of a disappointment.
Instead of pushing on after securing Champions League football and ending the long wait for a trophy, Newcastle learned how difficult competing with the Premier League’s legacy clubs really is.
Eddie Howe watched on as Newcastle missed out on several top targets to fellow English clubs, and that was before the Alexander Isak saga even began.
Seemingly out of the blue, Isak made it clear he wanted to leave the club and wouldn’t play for them again, even if his move was denied.
Isak eventually got his way as Liverpool bought him for a British transfer record of £125m on transfer deadline day.
The sale is obviously Newcastle’s biggest of all time, but which exits make up the rest of the top 10?
- Who is Alexander Isak? The striker who burned his Newcastle United reputation to force £125m Liverpool transfer
10 – Yohan Cabaye to Paris Saint-Germain, 2013 – £22.5 million
Newcastle signed elegant midfielder Yohan Cabaye for a bargain £4.3m from Lille in 2011 and he quickly became a fan favourite at St. James’ Park.
After 18 goals and 12 assists in 93 appearances over three years, Cabaye returned to France with giants PSG, earning Newcastle a big money transfer fee at the time.
9 – Allan Saint-Maximin to Al-Ahli, 2023 – £23.2 million
Speaking of beloved Frenchmen, Allan Saint-Maximin is still adored at Newcastle to this day, thanks to four years of magic he brought to the club.
He was sold to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli for £23.2m in 2023, but now plays for Mexican side Club America.
8 – Georginio Wijnaldum to Liverpool, 2016 – £24.8 million
Isak isn’t the first time Liverpool have come calling for one of Newcastle’s best players, as they stole away Georginio Wijnaldum back in 2016.
The Dutch midfielder would enjoy great success at Anfield, winning the Premier League and Champions League.
7 – Chris Wood to Nottingham Forest, 2022 – £25 million
Chris Wood was among PIF’s first signings after he was recruited in their first transfer window from Burnley in 2022.
The plan of signing players from relegation candidates worked a treat as the Magpies easily stayed up, but Wood didn’t enjoy great success on Tyneside.
He scored just five goals in 39 games before Newcastle recouped all their costs by selling him to Nottingham Forest, where he is enjoying a career resurgence.
6 – Ayoze Perez to Leicester City, 2019 – £30 million
Newcastle pulled off one of the heists of the century when they managed to sell misfiring forward Ayoze Perez to Leicester City for a massive £30m in 2019. Something they might have matched if they sold William Osula to Eintracht Frankfurt for the same sum in 2025.
Four years later, Perez left Leicester on a free transfer to Real Betis, where he saw his career take an uptick and went on to be a regular for Spain and win the Euros in 2024.
5 – Moussa Sissoko to Tottenham Hotspur, 2016 – £31.5 million
Newcastle lost midfielder Moussa Sissoko to Tottenham after they were relegated in 2016, but the massive £31.5m they earned helped fund their immediate return to the top flight under Rafa Benitez.
4 – Yankuba Minteh to Brighton, 2024 – £32 million
In a move they really didn’t want to make, Newcastle sold Yankuba Minteh to Brighton in 2024 in order to stay within PSR rules.
They did make a massive profit after signing him for just £7m the previous summer, but Minteh has looked fantastic for the Seagulls and has scored against Newcastle twice already.
3 – Andy Carroll to Liverpool, 2011 – £35 million
It seems like Liverpool love signing Newcastle strikers on deadline day, but grabbing Andy Carroll in January 2011 was far more of a shock.
The Reds were scrambling for a replacement after selling Fernando Torres to Chelsea and ended up spending £35m, a gigantic fee at the time, on Carroll after he’d scored 11 goals and set up another 8 in his first 19 Premier League games.
However, he would score just 11 times in 58 matches on Merseyside.
2 – Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest, 2024 – £35 million
In an even more heartbreaking sale than Minteh, Newcastle were also forced to cash in on Elliot Anderson in 2024.
The homegrown midfielder had already shown his potential under Howe, but had to be sold as he would go down on the books as pure profit.
Anderson has gone from strength to strength at Nottingham Forest and recently earned his first England call-up.
1 – Alexander Isak to Liverpool, 2025 – £125m
If Newcastle ever break their transfer sale record, then they’ve either found the next Lionel Messi or transfer fee inflation has truly gotten out of hand.
Though they did cave on their strong stance of £150m or nothing, getting £125m after Isak refused to play for the club again isn’t bad going.
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