Alexander Isak to Liverpool: Newcastle striker's three options after transfer bombshell

Alexander Isak has gone public with his desire to leave Newcastle this summer after having his head turned by interest from Liverpool. The 25-year-old striker has been omitted from Newcastle's squad for their pre-season tour and has become the biggest story in the summer transfer window.

Isak is arguably the best striker in the Premier League, having scored 23 times in the top flight last season for Newcastle. He still has three years left on his current contract with Newcastle, but is clearly unhappy with his situation on Tyneside – despite what Eddie Howe says.

The Sweden international has gone public with his desire to ‘explore opportunities’ in the transfer market after growing irritated with his status at Newcastle. He has scored 62 goals in 109 games since joining from Real Sociedad for £63million in August 2022, underlining his status as one of the best in the business.

Yet he is currently paid around £120,000 per week by the Magpies and knows he could achieve much more elsewhere. He has reportedly demanded £300,000-a-week to sign a new contract with Newcastle, who would have to shatter their wage structure to make that happen, with Bruno Guimaraes the highest earner on £160,000-a-week at present.

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On the one hand, Newcastle are under little pressure to sell Isak, because they are in line with profit and sustainability rules and he is contracted for three more years. But keeping an unhappy player is fraught with complications and they are reportedly only willing to give him £200,000-a-week.

That is Isak’s first option: signing a new contract with Newcastle and spending at least another season there as they embark upon another season in the Champions League. Right now, though, that doesn’t appear likely.

His second option is Liverpool, who made enquiries about Isak’s availability last week before signing Hugo Ekitike and remain interested. The Reds have splashed £265m on transfers this summer, but still have money in the bank to spend on Isak, thanks to their quiet summer of 2024, Premier League prize money and assets they can sell.

It would take a record transfer of over £125m to make it happen, but with Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott available to sell, it could happen. Isak is understood to prefer a move to Anfield, where he could play alongside Ekitike, Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz in a new-look attack.

Isak’s third option is one that has been mulled over by many Premier League stars in recent years: moving to Saudi Arabia. With Newcastle owned by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, that avenue would appear to be open.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are reportedly able to offer staggering wages of around £500,000 a week after tax for the striker. The club have already lured Aleksandar Mitrovic, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly with their lucrative offers in the past, but Isak would represent an even bigger coup.

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“Yes, I've had discussions with him, but that's not abnormal,” Howe said on the weekend after the Celtic no-show. “I respect a player's career and how short it is. Alex has been really good, he's trained really well and I realise there'll be noise around him.”

That noise is not going to go away until Isak’s future is decided. His preference is clear. Now the ball is in Liverpool’s court.

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