Alexander Isak has made his stance clear on his Newcastle United future as he continues to be linked with a move to Liverpool.
Newcastle forward Isak, 25, has the subject of interest from Liverpool throughout the summer transfer window having previously been the subject of a bid worth around £110m plus add-ons, which was rejected by the Magpies earlier this month.
The Swede was omitted from Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia and trained with former club Real Sociedad. Isak returned to the Magpies’ training ground last week but was told to stay away from first-team training by manager Eddie Howe.
And the English coach issued an update on the situation following his side’s 2-0 defeat in a pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
think everything is in play,” Howe said.
“I’ve said many times he is contracted to us. He is our player. The club make the decision on his future.
“I don’t know what that will be. Of course I have a preferred outcome. I want the best and the strongest squad possible, but I also want players that really want to play for this football club.”
When asked what needs to change for Isak to be reintroduced to the fold, Howe replied: “That’s not for me to answer. That’s for him to answer.”
And with Newcastle’s Premier League opener against Aston Villa at Villa Park just four days away, all parties will be keen to resolve the situation
Newcastle striker Alexander Isak is linked with Liverpool (Image: Getty)
However, on Tuesday, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that “Isak regards his career at St James’s Park as finished and has no desire to reintegrate into the squad”. Ornstein also claims that it is likely the Swede will miss the trip to Birmingham amid claims he is adamant that he will never play for Newcastle again
Despite the interest from Liverpool, Newcastle have maintained that the player is not for sale this summer although according to the report their “stance may soften if a proposal closer to £150m arrives and they can fill Isak’s void through the market”.
The transfer window will remain open until 7pm on September 1.