 "Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe insists Swedish striker Alexander Isak will be welcomed back at St James Park once he returns from his training trip in Spain. Reuters")
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe insisted Alexander Isak had the support of the club despite the “complex” situation surrounding his transfer after the Magpies rejected a £110 million ($146 million) bid from defending champions Liverpool for the Swedish striker.
Isak had expressed his desire to leave St James Park and join Arne Slot’s side , who had won their second Premier League title and their 20th English top-flight triumph overall earlier this summer.
However, Newcastle, the team that had finished fifth last season, had valued Isak at £150 million ($199 million), and were not in the mood to negotiate over their star performer – who had finished as the second-highest goal scorer last season with 23 strikes.
‘Signing players is always complex’
Speaking to reporters at Seoul where the four-time English top-flight champions are set to face fellow Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in a friendly, Howe insisted he wanted to see Isak continue wearing the club’s colours – black and white for home games – despite the recent drama.
“I was made aware of a bid yesterday and that bid was turned down, all before I’d even heard about it. People back in England are dealing with the situation. I don’t know what happens next. From our perspective, we still support Alex in every way and my wish is that we see him in a Newcastle shirt again,” former Bournemouth boss Hower, who had joined Newcastle in 2021, said.
“In terms of trying to upset players and all that kind of stuff, from my perspective, we can only talk about our conduct. We try to do things in the right way. Signing players is always complex. We just try to do what we think is right. I can’t talk about other clubs, that’s not for me to say,” he added.
Howe added that he was aware of Isak training on his own in Spainafter being left out of the club’s ongoing pre-season tour.
“I know where he is, really, through the media. From that perspective, it’s difficult for me to go into any kind of detail. The situation is far from ideal and is quite complex,” he added.
Isak, who had joined Newcastle from Spanish top-division club Real Sociedad on a £60 million move in 2022, is set to link up with the rest of the Newcastle squad once they’re back from their Asian pre-season trip.
The 25-year-old has been training with his personal team at his former club’s training ground rather than with the Newcastle staff at their Benton training ground.
And despite Liverpool not making a second bid for Isak after Newcastle’s rejection, Isak’s desire to join the Reds might get fulfilled later in the transfer window with the Magpies having expressed interest in signing Slovenian forward Benjamin Sesko, who currently plays for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.
Newcastle securing Sesko, who is also being targeted by Manchester United, for the 2025-26 season and beyond might allow them to part ways with Isak.