Newcastle AFRAID that Alexander Isak wants Liverpool move | OneFootball

Liverpool’s bid for Alexander Isak has taken a huge step forward in recent hours. First came the reports that Newcastle were intending to add Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike in this transfer window.

Given the Frenchman costs €100m, there is little chance he is coming to the club as a back-up to first-choice No9 Isak. Nor would it appear that Ekitike and Isak would be fielded together.

Each tends to occupy the same kind of space and they are both high-volume shooters. Then factor in the costs.

Ekitike will be coming to Newcastle on a better contract than he’s on at Frankfurt - and it should comfortably be earning something approaching the £150k mark or beyond at his next club.

Adding Ekitike on a €100m deal and then paying him that kind of money is going to be a stretch given Newcastle’s delicate finances.

Can Newcastle afford Isak and Ekitike?

And in an ideal world, the Geordies would also sign Isak up to a new contract. His current deal, worth £120k per week, expires in 2028.

Given his talent and track record, he is entitled to earn a lot more - and would so if a deal was agreed with a new club this summer.

Can Newcastle really afford to pay Isak what he deserves - surely £200k per week upwards - and also service the fee and wages for Ekitike as well as new signing Anthony Elanga?

Unlikely.

Newcastle reporters have ALWAYS been steadfast in their belief that Isak was not for sale and wouldn’t be budging. But there is a definite change in the way this move is being treated now.

Has Isak's Liverpool stance changed?

“Newcastle have long insisted Isak is not for sale at any price,” a report from Newcastle expert Chris Waugh in the Athletic reads.

“But that has always felt reliant on Isak’s own stance.

“The club have never expected him to push to leave but, should he be attracted by the prospect of moving to Anfield, perhaps that changes now an approach has been made.”

Was Isak content to remain at Newcastle so long as no interested club made an official move? And now his head has potentially been turned by Liverpool’s approach?

Interesting.

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It's time to push ahead for Isak

It’s only natural Isak would be attracted by a move to Anfield. With Darwin Nunez expected to move on, they will have an available position at No9.

The Reds are on an upward trajectory - having added Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili and more. Factor in prime talents like Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah and it’s not hard to see why Merseyside is the place to be.

The Reds are the defending Premier League champions, were only knocked out of the Champions League by the slimmest of margins by the best team in Europe in PSG and look to have hit a new level under Arne Slot.

Compare that to Newcastle - a decent team but one which a player like Isak has already outgrown.

It’s time for Liverpool to hold their nerve and push ahead.

If it’s now out in the open that Isak’s mind will be changed by Liverpool’s approach then they cannot stop now. Let’s sort out the departure and make sure there’s enough money to break the British transfer record once again for a transformative signing.