Newcastle United have apparently given striker Alexander Isak a final transfer deadline just hours after Liverpool, one of his interested clubs, lost the Community Shield.
Isak, who still has three years remaining on his contract at St James’ Park, has indicated he wants to leave Newcastle following his best season, where he scored 27 goals in 42 games across all competitions.
He played a key role in Newcastle’s Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool last season and helped the team secure fifth place in the Premier League, earning a spot in this season’s Champions League.
Isak joined Newcastle in 2022 for a club-record fee of £63 million from Real Sociedad and has scored 62 goals in 109 appearances over three seasons.
However, he did not take part in Newcastle’s pre-season tour in Asia, having expressed his wish to move on.
Premier League champions Liverpool are eager to sign Isak and reportedly had an initial £110 million offer rejected by Newcastle earlier this month.
Liverpool have been very active in the transfer market this summer, bringing in several players including Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth, Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia, and Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.
On the other hand, players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Luis Diaz, Tyler Morton, Darwin Nunez, and Caoimhin Kelleher have left Anfield.
Liverpool began their new season with a loss to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley, falling 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regular time.
Ekitike scored first for Liverpool, Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized for Palace from the penalty spot, and Frimpong put Liverpool ahead again, but Ismaila Sarr’s second-half goal leveled the match, which went to penalties.
Palace won the shootout after Dean Henderson saved two penalties and Mohamed Salah missed his spot kick.
Regarding Isak’s transfer situation, Liverpool have not yet increased their offer. Meanwhile, Newcastle have issued a final ultimatum, making it clear to Isak that unless they receive a higher bid, he will not be sold.
The Newcastle Chronicle reports that while £150 million has been mentioned, some agents believe a fee of around £130 million plus add-ons might be enough to close the deal.
Isak has been told that without a “serious offer,” no transfer will happen. Until then, he will continue training ahead of Newcastle’s opening Premier League game against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Additionally, the Daily Mail reports that Liverpool plan to submit a second bid for Isak but only after Newcastle secure a replacement striker.
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