Transfer insider: How Newcastle feel about Isak wage demands as Liverpool patiently lie in wait | OneFootball

Alexander Isak has reportedly made his wage demands known to Newcastle if he’s to sign a new contract with the club amid ongoing interest from Liverpool.

The Reds made an approach to the St James’ Park hierarchy for the striker last week (The Athletic), with the 25-year-old understood to be seeking as much as £300,000 per week if he’s to remain with the Magpies (talkSPORT).

The Daily Express claimed that those developments could provide ‘encouragement’ to the Premier League champions, who now know that they would be able to afford the Sweden international’s desired wages.

Isak left Newcastle ‘shocked’ with his wage demands

Transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed that Newcastle chiefs were taken aback by Isak’s wage demands, although they haven’t completely shot down the possibility of paying him what he wants in order to keep him at the club.

The journalist told Geordie Boot Boys: “It is obviously a lot. It is at the higher end of what you would expect he would want. It is a lot. Is it unreasonable? It’s in the right ballpark when you’re dealing with a world-class player. It’s a big decision for Newcastle to make.

“Newcastle have been willing to go up to £200,000 a week. They are willing to break their wage structure, but I am not so sure if that will be enough.

“Newcastle were not expecting his demands to be at that level, from what I am told. They were shocked, but that is not to say they are refusing to pay him what he wants. Newcastle are still adamant that he is not going to be sold. That remains their stance at this moment in time.”

(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Could Liverpool pounce on Isak/Newcastle wage disparity?

If Liverpool were to swoop in and meet Isak’s desired weekly wage of £300,000, it’d make him the third best-paid player at Anfield behind Mo Salah (£400k-p/w) and Virgil van Dijk (£350k-p/w), according to Capology.

It’d also exceed the estimated £250,000 per week that the Reds would seemingly be willing to give Hugo Ekitike once his transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt is completed (Florian Plettenberg).

In addition to the considerable outlay on new signings this summer, LFC also seem prepared to commit vast sums in terms of wages for these players. That’s especially true of the incoming French striker, who’s set to be handed a six-year contract at Anfield on handsome money.

With an apparent £100k-per-week disparity between what Isak is purportedly seeking and what Newcastle had been ready to accommodate, there appears to be a sizeable gap for those two parties to bridge if they’re to reach a mutually satisfactory compromise.

Liverpool may be hoping to pounce on that if they can table a sufficiently appetising proposal for the player, although convincing his club to sell could be a significantly more formidable challenge. The saga doesn’t look like ending any time soon…