Alexander Isak wants to explore options at other clubs and a transfer away from Newcastle United, potentially throwing Eddie Howe’s summer plans into chaos.
The 25-year-old was not included in last week’s friendly defeat to Celtic due to “speculation”, and has now not travelled to Singapore for pre-season due to a thigh injury.
And Newcastle have been made aware that Isak is keen to consider his future elsewhere.
The Independent has also been told that Howe had already privately told prominent figures at the club this summer that he was concerned about the player’s situation.
That view, surrounding Isak’s desire to explore a move away, also precedes reports of Liverpool’s public interest last week.
Newcastle’s position remains the same, however, which is that Isak is not for sale. Ad their stance has been bolstered by the fact that he still has three years left on his contract, with no new contract offered at this time.
An offer in the region of £150m may change that, though, especially with the knowledge that the player may want to leave.
The big question, however, is where such an offer comes from. There are only about eight clubs that could afford such a deal, though almost none of them have the PSR headroom or squad need to make it happen.
Liverpool have just spent £79m on Hugo Ekitike, a deal that had been linked to Isak’s future given Newcastle’s own interest in the French forward.
That feasibly rules them out of a future move, although there is the potential twist should Darwin Nunez leave to hand the Reds the necessary PSR room and squad space.
But sources tell the Independent that Liverpool are currently comfortable with their options at centre-forward and have their No 9 in Ekitike.
Mikel Arteta has long been an admirer by Isak, and would love to do the deal, but it is seen as virtually impossible that Arsenal’s Kroenke ownership will extend the budget.
The club are also on the brink of signing Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres for less than half of Isak’s anticipated price.
Chelsea may consider a move, given they do have budget left to the figure of around £100m. Though this would also require a deviation from recent targets and a switch in profile given Isak’s age and career trajectory.
While virtually every club sees Isak as an outstanding talent, there is some doubt about whether £150m is worth it for a player who has recently struggled to consistently play in full European schedules without injury.
