Liverpool transfer blow as Newcastle 'prepare to break the bank' for £120m striker Reds want

Newcastle United are willing to break their wage structure to keep Liverpool and Arsenal target Alexander Isak at the club, according to reports.

Isak is the subject of transfer interest from the Premier League’s top two, but both clubs are well aware that he will cost at least £120million.

Some Newcastle fans may even baulk at that fee, but the club’s hierarchy are in a strong negotiating position after Eddie Howe guided them into the Champions League.

The Swedish international is under contract until 2028, but there has been plenty of speculation surrounding his future and whether he will sign a new deal.

Failure to qualify for Europe’s premier competition would have complicated matters, but now there is a belief that Isak is willing to commit his long-term future to Newcastle.

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Amid interest from Barcelona, Arsenal and Liverpool, the Magpies are ready to break the bank to convince Isak to stay, according to The Times.

The report says Howe’s side are ‘willing to break the bank’ by smashing their wage structure and making the 25-year-old the best-paid player in their history.

This would help ‘fight off any approach’, and the club’s bosses are ‘ready to begin talks on a new deal’, which is expected to take Isak’s wage above £150,000 per week — overtaking star team-mates like Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon.

Liverpool could test their resolve given their handsome transfer budget, even after signing Florian Wirtz for a £116m club-record fee, the report adds.

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Newcastle are apparently ‘concerned an offer could be made’ for Isak in July, even if the Reds ‘are not thought to be actively seeking a No.9’.

And making Isak their highest-paid player ever still wouldn’t match the wage the striker could earn at Anfield.

Isak scored an impressive 23 goals in 34 Premier League appearances last season. Only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah scored more (29).

He’s become a world-class striker in the North East, and in classic Football Manager fashion, head coach Howe said in February that he wouldn’t swap Isak for anyone — not even Erling Haaland.

“I love working with Alex and I wouldn’t swap him for anyone,” he said.

“We’ve tried to help him by moulding our style of play to suit his game. I really respect Erling and what he’s done in his career is unbelievable, but we really love Alex.

“I don’t think you can compare Alex to anyone.

“Alex is very, very different to any other striker I’ve seen or worked with.

“He does things that aren’t like your traditional centre-forward. He’s almost a winger combined into a striker’s mentality because his footwork and dribbling ability is so good.

“That’s almost winger-like and then you put him into the middle of the pitch and, with his pace and technical ability and exceptional finishing, he’s sort of got the whole package linked into one.

“He’s very unique and I’d encourage him to stay that way.”

Meanwhile, Newcastle have failed with a £45million bid for Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga.

READ MORE: Newcastle transfer blow as £45m winger bid ‘rejected without a counter’ – Ornstein

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