Empire of the Kop
·24 juillet 2025
Isak ruled out of Newcastle tour – Liverpool fans will draw their own conclusions

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Yahoo sportsEmpire of the Kop
·24 juillet 2025
Liverpool may have moved quickly to land Hugo Ekitike, but another striker who’s long been on our radar has just opened the door to fresh speculation.
Newcastle confirmed this morning that Alexander Isak has not travelled with their first-team squad for their 2025 Asia Tour, citing a “minor thigh injury”.
With Eddie Howe’s side boasting an otherwise almost fully fit group, the decision to leave out their leading goalscorer will not go unnoticed on Merseyside.
“Eddie Howe has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, however Alexander Isak misses out with a minor thigh injury,” read an official statement via newcastleunited.com.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Supporters are bound to question whether this absence is merely precautionary, or even an injury at all.
It’s unusual for a player of the Swede’s stature to be omitted from an important pre-season camp over what’s described as a small knock – especially with the new season fast approaching.
The 25-year-old scored 27 goals last term and was instrumental in helping Newcastle to a domestic cup win and a top-five Premier League finish.
He’s also the player many Liverpool fans have dreamed of seeing wear the No.9 shirt at Anfield – despite the big-money arrival of Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.
More space can be made in our forward line to accommodate the new players, in the shape of the already rumoured departures of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The speculation isn’t helped by recent reports from Paul Joyce, who noted that Liverpool’s interest in Isak has not completely cooled, even after securing the Frenchman.
Whether this latest development reignites anything concrete remains to be seen – but if Isak is available, we know there’s admiration for his profile.
As it stands, though, he remains a Newcastle player – albeit one staying at home as the rest of his teammates jet off to Singapore.
If things escalate, we could be in for another summer twist.
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