Isak in tug of war to seal transfer

No formal offer has been made for Isak; Alexander Isak missed Newcastle’s pre-season defeat to Celtic and will miss the club’s pre-season tour due to a “minor thigh injury”, according to Eddie Howe.

Liverpool have shown an interest in Isak but then moved on to the £79m signing of Hugo Ekitike. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has admitted that Alexander Isak’s future may be out of his hands amid intense links to Liverpool.

Isak has informed Newcastle he wants to explore his options this transfer window. Liverpool are understood to have made an informal approach for Isak before signing Hugo Ekitike and remain huge admirers of the 25-year-old striker. Quizzed about Isak’s future on Tuesday in Seoul, South Korea, Howe said: “He is still our player. He’s contracted to us. We, to a degree, control what is next for him.

“I would love to believe all possibilities are still available to us. My wish is that he stays, but that’s not in my full control. “We have not received a formal offer for Alex, from any club. My wish is that he stays and we see him playing again next year.”

Isak has three years left to run on his current deal, so Newcastle are said to be in a strong bargaining position and value the player at £150m. Last week, Howe confirmed that the Sweden international will not be playing a part in Newcastle’s pre-season tour after he informed the club he will be exploring his options.

Isa ahead of the 4-0 pre-season defeat to Celtic due to being affected by transfer speculation following an approach from Liverpool.

The striker then wasn’t part of the travelling party to East Asia, with Newcastle saying he was left at home due to a minor thigh issue and a long-haul flight wouldn’t have helped his recovery.