Alexander Isak has informed Newcastle United that he wishes to leave the club in the current summer transfer window, according to reports.
Rumours have spread like wildfire after Isak was not named in Newcastle’s squad for their pre-season tour of Asia.
The Daily Mail report that Isak has now told the club he wants to explore a move away – with the Newcastle hierarchy well aware of the situation.
The Sweden international striker, strongly linked with a move to Liverpool, has stayed behind in Newcastle as his teammates travel to Singapore.
Isak, who scored 23 Premier League goals last term, missed the recent 4-0 friendly defeat to Celtic due to being affected by transfer speculation.
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The 25-year-old also trained alone on Tuesday – but why has he missed the pre-season tour? And is he really joining Liverpool? Scroll on to find out…
Why Isak isn’t on Newcastle’s pre-season tour
According to Newcastle, Isak is missing the 10-day tour of Singapore and South Korea because of a ‘minor thigh issue’.
The club believe that a long-haul flight would not help Isak in his recovery from injury, nor would playing three games in the space of 12 days, with Newcastle set to take on Arsenal, Tottenham and the K-League All-Stars.
Could Isak move to Liverpool this summer?
Newcastle have told Liverpool that Isak is not for sale – but it’s believed that an offer of around £150m ‘could see a move accelerate in the coming weeks’ – and Arne Slot’s side are still interested in a deal for the Swede.
Liverpool are still keen on Isak despite signing a different striker, Hugo Ekitike, from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79m on Wednesday, according to The Times.
Odds slashed on Isak to join Liverpool
Odds have been slashed on Isak moving to Liverpool this summer before September 2, 2025.
- Liverpool – 8/13
- Any Saudi Pro League Club – 9/4
- Arsenal – 13/2
- Barcelona – 9/1
- Real Madrid – 22/1
Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: ‘Following news that Alexander Isak is open to a move away from Newcastle, odds on the centre-forward to join long-term admirers Liverpool have been slashed to 8/13 from 11/8.
‘Elsewhere, Isak is 9/4 to join any Saudi Pro League Club, with Arsenal 13/2 among the outsiders to tempt the 25-year-old away from St James’ Park.’
Isak’s agent Gonzalo Gaitan, meanwhile, has told Saudi Arabian newspaper Arriyadiyah that the player is assessing his options.
‘We are indeed studying and analysing all options, and we may be close to finalising the next step for the player,’ Gaitan said.
‘Without revealing any details regarding whether Isak will transfer or stay with Newcastle.’
It should be noted that Isak is also a transfer target for a number of clubs in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
Is Isak staying at Newcastle this summer?
Isak and his camp previously made his demands clear over conditions for signing a new contract at Newcastle, according to talkSPORT.
The Magpies are, of course, keen to keep hold of their superstar, with his current deal at St James’ Park expiring in the summer of 2028.
Isak was reportedly seeking £300,000-a-week to sign a new contract at Newcastle – which would’ve more than doubled his current earnings of £120,000-a-week – and would’ve broken the club’s wage structure.
But according to new reports, Isak and his camp do not want to commit to a new deal at Newcastle amid talk of a British record offer from Liverpool.
What has Newcastle’s manager said about Isak?
After Isak was left out of Newcastle’s 4-0 pre-season defeat to Celtic on Saturday, manager Eddie Howe said: ‘I chose to send him home.
‘The last thing Alex wants if he is not playing is to be sat in the stand and under that scrutiny, then if he wasn’t going to play today, we mutually agreed he shouldn’t be here.
‘It was my decision. He travelled back to Glasgow with us, but I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him. Both [Joelinton and Isak] are fit but not ready to play. Alex has trained and is fine but we didn’t want to take the risk with him.
‘Yes, I’ve had discussions with him, but that’s not abnormal. I respect a player’s career and how short it is. Alex has been really good, he’s trained really well and I realise there’ll be noise around him.
‘We have a few of those players who are irreplaceable. Your top players are so hard to find, so hard to recruit and so hard to develop. So when you have them, you need to treasure them. Of course we’re desperate to keep him as part of our team.
‘I think it’s difficult for me to ever give 100 per cent clarity on any player, I’d never do that.
‘All I can say is Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players, the staff, the team.
‘I’ve never had any issue with him and I’m confident he’s going to be here at the start of the season.’