LFC Only provides an in-depth look at the Alexander Isak transfer saga — and how events have led to the current situation involving Liverpool’s top target.
The pursuit of Alexander Isak has been one of the defining transfer stories of the summer. Yet, with only four days remaining in the window, the striker’s future remains unresolved, leaving supporters and clubs alike awaiting clarity.
Liverpool have identified the Sweden international as their primary target following the departures of Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez. However, Newcastle United are firm in their stance that they want to retain the forward, who has delivered an impressive 44 Premier League goals across his last two seasons on Tyneside.
Since arriving in the North East, Isak has developed into one of the league’s most clinical forwards. Despite this, the player has made it known that he envisions his future away from St James’ Park. His absence from Newcastle’s opening two fixtures this season — including Monday’s dramatic 3-2 victory for Arne Slot’s Liverpool — has only fuelled speculation regarding his intentions.
In this analysis, LFC Only explores the current landscape of negotiations, the factors that have led to this point, and the conditions required for a British transfer record to be completed ahead of the September 1 deadline.
Alexander Isak Transfer Timeline
July 14: Alexander Isak is confirmed to have travelled with Newcastle United’s squad to their pre-season training camp in Austria.
July 15: Reports surface that Liverpool have made contact with Newcastle, expressing their readiness to pay £120 million for the forward.
July 19: Isak is absent from the Magpies’ 4-0 friendly defeat to Celtic. Head coach Eddie Howe remarks that he “respects that a player’s career is short.”
July 24: Isak is excluded from the club’s pre-season tour of Singapore and South Korea, with a minor groin injury given as the reason.
Late July: The striker resumes training by utilising facilities at his former club, Real Sociedad.
August 1: Liverpool’s £110 million offer is rejected, with Newcastle reported to be holding out for a figure closer to £150 million.
Early August: Isak continues training in isolation at Newcastle’s training base, separate from the first-team group.
August 6: The Swedish international is instructed not to attend a family barbecue organised by Howe at the club’s training facility.
August 16: Newcastle begin their Premier League season with a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa. Isak is not included in the squad.
August 19: Isak issues a statement accusing the club of breaking promises and declaring that trust has been lost. Newcastle respond by insisting that the conditions required to finalise a sale have not been met.
August 25: Senior representatives from the club’s ownership group, PIF, visit Isak at his home in Northumberland in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade him to reconsider. PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is among the delegation.
August 25: Liverpool defeat Newcastle 3-2 with a 100th-minute winner from Rio Ngumoha. Isak is reported to have been present at St James’ Park but plays no role in the match.
Newcastle United Recruitment Woes
After the departure of sporting director Paul Mitchell in July, Newcastle’s recruitment responsibilities have fallen to Eddie Howe’s nephew, Andy Howe, who has faced a challenging introduction to the role.
Joao Pedro and Liam Delap both opted to join Chelsea, with Pedro making the move after progress had been made with Brighton. Liverpool then moved ahead of Newcastle in the pursuit of Hugo Ekitike, securing the France Under-21 forward for £79 million, shortly after the Magpies saw a bid of around £70 million rejected.
Benjamin Sesko had been identified as a prime target at £73 million from RB Leipzig, but the Slovenian striker was also pursued by Manchester United, who ultimately won the race for his signature over Newcastle.
Despite the earlier signing of Anthony Elanga, Newcastle’s attempts to strengthen their attacking options have continued, with the club experiencing a turbulent summer in the transfer market.
Who are Newcastle United Targeting Now?
Newcastle have pursued Brentford forward Yoane Wissa throughout the summer, but, as with Liverpool’s pursuit of Isak, they have faced firm resistance. This is despite the player’s current reluctance to feature at the Gtech Community Stadium.
While negotiations over Wissa continue, Newcastle have also seen two offers rejected for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen. An opening bid of £50 million was declined, followed by a second proposal of £55 million, despite reports that the Norwegian has made clear his desire to move to St James’ Park.
As it stands, the club is awaiting a decisive development in both pursuits, while also being linked with a potential loan move for Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, who is understood to be eager to leave Stamford Bridge.
On August 28, reports emerged that Newcastle had reached an agreement worth £77 million for Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, a Germany Under-21 international.
The forward is expected to undergo a medical on Friday after the breakthrough deal was finalised, marking a significant step forward for Newcastle’s recruitment efforts.
Securing two of these four attacking targets could prove crucial in breaking the current deadlock.
Liverpool’s Stance on Alexander Isak
Senior figures at Liverpool have deliberately refrained from making any public or private comment on the matter, believing that any intervention would only add to the already excessive speculation surrounding their pursuit of a leading striker.
The club submitted a straightforward offer of £110 million at the beginning of August, despite reports three weeks earlier indicating they had informed Newcastle they were prepared to bid £120 million.
That proposal, somewhat curiously, attracted criticism from some quarters as an inadequate opening move, even though no player in British football has ever commanded such a fee without additional clauses.
After gauging Newcastle’s firm response, Liverpool have since remained silent and withdrawn from immediate negotiations, waiting for signs of encouragement to re-engage. Newcastle’s reaction has been viewed by some as a signal that they require replacements before reluctantly conceding to Isak’s demands.
Before Isak’s provocative public message on Instagram, there had been suggestions from those familiar with Newcastle’s stance that a deal could eventually be reached at £130 million.
For now, Liverpool’s month-long wait continues.
What Arne Slot Has Said
”I think the story should be about Hugo Ekitike scoring another goal for us,” Slot said when asked directly about Isak on Monday evening. “He has been three games with us now, scored three goals, impacted the games he played. This is not the place to talk about anything other than that.”
Asked by the ECHO last week about whether he feels sufficiently stocked up top, Slot said: “It depends how you want to look at it. If you want to add Florian Wirtz as an attacking option then you can make it five.
”So yeah, we’ve sold Darwin and brought in Hugo. Lucho (Diaz) has gone, you can maybe see Florian as a replacement for that. And, yes, we all know what happened to Diogo (Jota).
”If you look at it like this, maybe we haven’t [got enough] but Jeremie Frimpong, when he is fit, is definitely an option to play as a winger as well, so then we end up at six forwards. I think I said it already, we have six players that can play in three positions. That is the answer, yes, I’m happy.”
That question came after the Liverpool head coach had been asked about the Isak pursuit in his open press conference, to which he replied: “What I can tell you is not a lot. And if someone else asks that question, it’s going to be the same answer.
”As I’ve said so many times and it’s been shown on Friday, I could impact the game with who we had on the bench. Federico [Chiesa] came in and scored a goal. So it would be much nicer for us to talk about the players who we have but I understand you have to ask the question.”
What Eddie Howe Has Said
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has faced a constant stream of Isak-related questions since the night in Glasgow on July 19.
The Magpies boss has responded with diplomacy throughout, earning further respect from supporters while carefully avoiding any remarks that might unsettle the player or his representatives.
Howe has been pressed on the issue before and after each of the club’s three friendlies in the Far East, during the Sela Cup fixtures against Atletico Madrid and Espanyol, following the defeat to Celtic, and again in both pre- and post-match press conferences for their opening two Premier League games.
To his credit, the former Bournemouth manager has seldom shown signs of frustration at the repeated enquiries, though it remains a situation he will be eager to see resolved, whatever the eventual outcome.
Speaking on Monday, Howe said: “I’ve not been party to talks on this for a long time now. I’ve been preparing the team and giving my energy to players who want to play for Newcastle. That’s where my energy is best served.
“I have no idea where that (Isak) stands at this second. The ideal from Newcastle’s side is we want clarity, we want to move forward. We want the narrative to change.
“We are in the start of the season now and we have to get results and try to focus on what we can control. We’ve given two really good performances and taken just one point. That’s tough for us to take.
“The quality of Alex would have made a difference in the two games, there’s no denying that. But that said the team functioned well and the performance doesn’t happen without every part of the team functioning well.”