Inside Newcastle's contract negotiations with Alexander Isak - as chief executive Darren Eales sends message to star striker

Newcastle will revisit contract discussions with Alexander Isak at the end of the season - but have reminded their star striker he is already on a long-term deal.

There were talks towards the back end of last season that did not progress. Given the Swede is contracted until 2028 and is among their highest earners, the club took the stance then that a new and improved deal was not possible, especially as others would then expect similar reward.

It remains to be seen whether they can go to the financial level Isak would demand - and deserves - or if he even wants a new deal. His 22 goals this term have elevated him still further when it comes to talk of the world’s best striker, and there is interest from a host of top clubs.

Chief executive Darren Eales insists there is no desire to sell the likes of Isak this summer, as he announced financial results for 2023-24 that paint an improved picture.

And when asked if the club were now in a position to reward the 25-year-old with a contract reflecting his status in the game, Eales said: ‘We’re going to be clear – he has multi years left. We will have the discussions in terms of a new deal, just like we did with Joelinton, Bruno (Guimaraes) or Anthony Gordon. That’s something that we will approach in the summer.’

Mail Sport reported last month that Newcastle will send a message to rival clubs, agents and their own dressing-room by not allowing their best players to leave, even if they miss out on the Champions League this season. So, what would the club’s response be if players asked to go?

Newcastle will revisit contract discussions with Alexander Isak at the end of the season

Isak has become one of football's most wanted men amid another stunning season with Toon

Chief executive Darren Eales has reminded Isak that he and other stars are on long-term deals

‘The reality is that all of our players are under long-term deals,’ said Eales. ‘They’re committed to the club. So, from that perspective, we’re not looking to move any player on. We have no intention at all of those players being moved on.

‘We're in a position now, where because we were able to move a couple of players in January that weren't really impacting on minutes on the pitch, we’ve got that wish and desire to keep our key players. They’re all under long-term contracts. We're not under the gun or anything like that. We've got an ownership that is ambitious and wants the best for the club. So, from that perspective, it'd be crazy for us to consider it (selling stars).’

Newcastle’s accounts showed an increase in revenue to £320.3m from £250.3m, while they recorded losses after tax of £11.1m, down from £71.8m.

Supporters, as well as head coach Eddie Howe, will want to know what all of that means for incomings. This summer will mark two years since the arrival of a first-team starter, with profit and sustainability rules limiting the club’s transfer spend. Eales did not commit to a figure, but indicated that the club would be investing everything that financial rules allowed.

‘At the moment, the way we approach from ownership down - and everyone is aligned - is that we maximise our revenues and spend to the max we’re allowed to, so we incur those losses of £105m over three years, to give Eddie and the team the best possible players on the pitch that he wants,’ said Eales.

‘It’s frustrating because we want to go A to B in three years, but we can’t do what was done in the past. You can front load the spend, but you have to pay the piper. There is frustration by that PSR constraint. If it wasn’t for that, we could spend more on the team and accelerate our progress on the pitch.

‘So the good news is it gets a little bit easier once you have a good season, like we had in these accounts, to invest in the future, but the amount will depend on a lot of factors.’

He added: ‘Paul (Mitchell) and his team have had a period of time now working with Eddie. Because ultimately, it's about getting the players that Eddie wants, so there's real alignment in that respect. We’re excited about the summer ahead.’

The club have 'no intention' of moving on stars such as Isak and Bruno Guimaraes, says Eales

A new training ground is in the offing in the 'medium term' due to the Saudi PIF's support

Eales promises that there is 'alignment' between Eddie Howe and the club chiefs' vision

Meanwhile, Eales said that discussions with the Saudi ownership over whether to move to a new stadium or redevelop St James’ Park were ongoing. He also confirmed that a new training ground was in the offing.

And when asked if PIF retained a strong interest in Newcastle project, Eales said: ‘Yes, absolutely. I deal with them all of the time. We are talking about a stadium project. We have to define what that looks like. But whichever path we go down, that is huge investment that is going in.

‘So the fact the ownership are taking that very seriously, and looking to invest considerable sums, shows their ambition. We are looking to the medium term for a new training ground. That again speaks to their commitment.

‘I deal with them day to day - they are 100 per cent committed to Newcastle. That’s the exciting part, there is no change in terms of where we want to get to. The one thing we’d say is that we have to do that within the regulatory regime that is there.’

On the decision of new stadium versus redevelopment, Eales said: ‘We're looking to get something done in the near future. We’ve looked at the feasibility of what is possible and that is what we are narrowing down. Part of that is feasibility building wise, feasibility of making sure, from a fan perspective, we take everybody on the journey. We don’t want to rush and do something that in 20 years’ time, we think, “If we had spent a bit more time, that would have had a bigger impact”.

‘It goes back to the ambition of the ownership, which is to be a club that is competing at the top level, in Europe and in the Premier League. We have to find some way to increase that capacity of the stadium, whether that's a new build or a refurbishment of St James' Park, to get us to those levels of revenue that we need to be able to compete in this PSR or “squad cost” environment.

‘The reality is we’ve got a great coach, we have amazing players in our squad, we are growing our revenues and we have an ownership that is fully committed to the long term, so the future is bright. It’s just the nature of football that we have the ups and downs.’

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