Alexander Isak, Liverpool, Newcastle United and a question of wages | OneFootball

The breaking news on Tuesday, Alexander Isak seemingly the subject of an inquiry from Liverpool.

Allegedly, the Merseysiders are prepared to offer £120 million for Isak’s services.

This figure is substantially below the £150 million valuation that Newcastle United have supposedly placed on their star man.

By all accounts, the club is determined to hang onto its star man and any bid would likely be rejected. If this is the case, what are the likely scenarios for Isak’s future on Tyneside?

The rejection of such a high profile bid from Liverpool would clearly signal the value that Newcastle United see in their number 14.

There have been multiple press reports that the club are prepared to offer Alexander Isak a new deal and I believe the value of this offer will dictate the Swede’s future in the black and white.

A valuation of £150 million would make Isak the most expensive player in the Premier League.

By valuing the Swede at this amount, it would place him alongside stars such as Erling Haaland and Mo Salah, both of whom signed new contracts within the last year. As such, it’s worth looking at how much these players are reportedly being paid, to see what kind of contract Isak and his representatives might seek.

After agreeing a new contract last year, Bruno Guimaraes is by all accounts Newcastle’s highest paid player, generally reported to be earning somewhere around £150,000-£160,000 per week. Even this lofty wage is much lower than that of the leading Premier League and European stars.

Along with the rest of the Newcastle United squad, Alexander Isak currently earning less than Bruno. A substantial wage but not even the highest at NUFC.

The top forwards across Europe, including Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Mohammed Salah are all reputed to be paid in the region of £400,000 per week. This figure would seem far above Newcastle’s current spending means.

Whilst it difficult to know, apart from in a small number of cases, exactly what players are earning, fair to assume that claimed earnings for Moussa Dembele (£300,000 per week) and Raphinha (£200,000 per week) are in the right ball park, certainly not lower than £200k. So they are also earning higher wages than even Newcastle United’s top earner, never mind Alexander Isak who is below United captain Bruno.

If Newcastle United are to convince Alexander Isak to be Newcastle’s striker in the long term, we are going to have to find a way to start to bridge the gap between our current wage structure and the elite players of Europe.

If we are unable to do this, we may have to come to terms with the fact that star players such as Alexander Isak may eventually have to leave the club to fulfil their potential from a monetary standpoint, despite us being able to offer success on the pitch.

Personally, I feel that Alexander Isak will stay at the club for the upcoming season but unless we can find a way to pay him the salary that our transfer fee asking price suggests he is worth, we may have to come to terms with the fact that next season could be his last on Tyneside.

Liverpool may well be playing the long game here, by forcing us to openly value Alexander Isak it dictates where contract discussions will head in the future. If we are unable to meet those demands, then the Swede will be a much easier acquisition in 12 months’ time.