Newcastle has clear preference over any Alexander Isak transfer as Liverpool hovers

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Sign up to receive the best LFC opinion direct to your inbox

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Sign up to receive the best LFC opinion direct to your inbox

Newcastle has no intention of selling Alexander Isak, but were the St. James' Park club to be forced to offload the Swede, its preference would be for the Sweden international to join an overseas club.

Isak has emerged as one of the best strikers in Europe since moving to Newcastle in 2022, and this season he finished as the Premier League's second-highest scorer behind Mohamed Salah.

Despite Liverpool having committed around $250 million to transfers this summer, the Reds are still believed to be a in position to submit a significant bid for Isak, although it remains to be seen whether that will materialize.

To land Isak, it would almost certainly cost more than the $157 million that the Reds committed to signing Florian Wirtz, and Newcastle is under no pressure to sell after dealing with its PSR issues with the sales of Yankuba Minteh and Elliott Anderson last year.

However, if Newcastle does end up selling Isak, it would prefer to sell to a club that is not a Premier League rival. Liverpool, Arsenal and Barcelona are among the clubs that have been most heavily linked with a move for Isak, so logic dictates that Newcastle would prefer to sell Isak to Barcelona.

Transfer guru David Ornstein reported that Newcastle is in a strong position when it comes to Isak's future. “Newcastle have no intention of selling Isak whatsoever, and want to renew his contract," Ornstein said. "They’re in a strong position with over three years remaining on his current deal, as part of which he is already paid well.

“They’ll have no problem offering more, too - he’s at the centre of that ambitious Saudi-led project. From the player’s point of view, he has top level football secured with Newcastle’s qualification for next season’s Champions League, and he won the club their first trophy in a long time. He looks to be happy - always with a smile on his face.”

Newcastle is ready to open talks over a new deal for Isak and it is reported that any new deal would see the former Real Sociedad striker become the club's highest earner, on more than $200,000 per week.

The Magpies would not be able to match the salaries that Liverpool's highest-paid players are on — Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are both believes to earn in excess of $400,000 per week.

Interestingly, the The Times claims that Liverpool is not actively pursuing a new No. 9, despite the high likelihood of Darwin Nunez leaving the club this summer.

Nunez's departure would leave Diogo Jota as the Reds' only natural striker, although Luis Diaz was frequently used through the middle this season, and there is also the possibility that Florian Wirtz will be utilized as a false nine next term.

Click here to read article