Newcastle United broke their transfer record to sign Alexander Isak in 2022, and now they might have to break it again.
The Magpies spent £63million on Alexander Isak two years ago, making him the most expensive player in the club’s history.
It is currently looking like money well spent, with the 24-year-old proving to be a real force in English football. He has just enjoyed his best season ever, scoring 25 goals in all competitions.
It was a landmark campaign for Isak, who has really established himself as a world class striker over the past 12 months.
But he is a player who needs more support, which is why the Magpies may look to sign a new striker this summer. It has been reported that Callum Wilson is likely to leave the club, which would open the door for another forward to arrive.
Newcastle must pay £65m to sign Dominic Solanke
One candidate to come in is Dominic Solanke.
He was linked with a move to St James’ Park during the January transfer window, but Bournemouth were not interested in selling.
The 26-year-old was viewed as someone who Newcastle might revisit, and it was recently claimed that the Magpies are exploring the possibility of signing him ahead of next season. However, he will not be cheap.
That is because the Athletic have reported that Solanke has a release clause in his Bournemouth contract worth £65million.
That is more than what Newcastle spent on Isak two years ago, which is staggering. There are also no guarantees that the release clause is available to the Magpies, with the Athletic adding that only certain clubs can activate it.
Solanke release clause proves Eddie Howe right
Even if Newcastle are one of those clubs, there is surely no way they will spend £65million on Solanke.
While he is a ‘talented‘ striker who has just enjoyed the best season of his career (19 Premier League goals), that is a crazy amount of money to spend on someone who would be playing second fiddle to Isak.
This is what Eddie Howe warned the Toon owners about earlier this year, when it was suggested that Wilson could leave St James’ Park. While an exit might make sense from a business perspective, it is going to cost a lot of money to replace Wilson.
And if Newcastle want to replace him with Solanke, it could cost them a club record fee.
That simply is not going to happen, meaning Newcastle will likely have to look elsewhere if they are serious about signing a backup striker.
An alternative is Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has also been linked with a move to St James’ Park this summer.
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