ALEXANDER ISAK missed Newcastle’s defeat at Celtic due to being SENT HOME by Eddie Howe after an intense week of transfer speculation.
The Magpies knocked back an approach from Liverpool this week for the Swedish striker as they stepped up their British record £120m pursuit.
GettyAlexander Isak is not in Newcastle’s squad for the pre-season friendly vs Celtic[/caption]
The 25-year-old striker travelled to Glasgow from their Austrian camp on Friday but was nowhere to be seen as the Toon were tumped 4-0 at Parkhead on Saturday.
His absence only intensified questions over his future, but Newcastle’s boss insisted the star will “absolutely” be on the plane this Thursday to Singapore for their Asia tour as he revealed he took the decision to spare Isak from the spotlight in Scotland.
Howe, who claimed the club have received no formal approach from Liverpool or Al-Hilal, said: “Alex was with us all the way through Austria, but today with all the speculation and things that are going on, I decided to send him home.
“The last thing Alex wants if he’s not playing is to be sat in the stand being under that scrutiny. I don’t think that’s fair to the player.
“So if he wasn’t going to play today, which we mutually agreed that he needs a little bit more training time, then it’s best he’s not here.”
On whether he could ease the Toon Army’s concerns over whether Isak will be leading the attack when they kick-off their Prem campaign next month, Howe said: “It’s difficult for me to give 100 per cent clarity on any player.
“I’d never sit here and do that because it’s football and you never know what can happen.
“All I can say is that Alex is happy at Newcastle. He loves the players that he plays with, the staff, the team.
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“I’ve never had any issue with him other than really enjoying seeing his talent and seeing him express himself and certainly I’m confident that he’s going to be here at the start of the season.
“I have conversations with, I’d say, 100 per cent of the players on their futures and I’m very communicative with them.
“So whether that’s at the end of the season, whether that’s during pre-season, I’ve had discussions with him, but that’s not abnormal.
“I respect a player’s career and how short it is. All the time I will be communicating my desires and my wishes to them and what I see and trying to help them.
“Alex has been really good and trained really well so far this season. So I know there’ll be lots of noise around it and I can’t really control that, but from my side he’s been really good.”
Sun Sport understands that Isak’s camp were open to seeing what was on offer at Liverpool having been left disappointed 12 months ago when a promise of a pay rise from his current £130,000-a-week made by the Magpies’ former co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi failed to happen.
That was down to one of the first decisions from the now ex-sporting director Paul Mitchell to put those negotiations on ice as he felt the ace was already handsomely paid and felt secure as he was tied to the club until 2028.
Despite Mitchell’s departure and talks still planned by Newcastle, there has still been no progress and it remains unclear whether Isak is willing to commit his long-term future to the club.
Though Sun Sport knows Newcastle are willing to smash their £150,000-a-week pay ceiling and make him the best-paid player in their history with a £200k-plus package.
Newcastle have only managed to bring in £55m winger Anthony Elanga so far after missing out on Hugo Ekitike, Joao Pedro and Bryan Mbuemo.
Howe added: “We’ve had a frustrating time in terms of losing targets to other clubs. I’d be very open with that. That’s happened on several occasions. You just have to accept it.
GettyIsak has been the subject of intense transfer speculation from Liverpool[/caption]
“In order for a transfer to really work, in my opinion, the player has to be desperate to come to your club. And if we don’t get that, the transfer doesn’t work.
“We’re seeking players that are good enough, that are desperate to come, and that can make the difference. They’re on short supply for us, but we’re confident that we can try and get some more players in to strengthen the depth of the squad. We’re certainly aware that we need to and we’re trying as hard as we can to do that.”
Brazilian star Joelinton, 28, was another notable absentee, although he watched from the stands, with Newcastle sources first claiming that the pair’s minutes were being managed.
However, that won’t stop fears from the Toon Army that last season’s 27-goal top scorer could potentially be looking to leave St James’ Park.
The Carabao Cup winners issued a firm hands-off warning to Liverpool and insisted Isak was not for sale at any price this week.
That resulted in Arne Slot’s side hijacking Newcastle’s swoop to bring in Hugo Ekitike from Frankfurt to partner him.
The Bundesliga club rejected a £70m bid from Newcastle on Tuesday but Liverpool are now in talks and believe a fee closer to £80m will help them land the French ace, who has already agreed a six-year contract deal.
And Newcastle are also looking elsewhere with a £30m swoop for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa being mooted.
But keeping Isak, who still remains the top target for the Kopites, is still their main priority.
We revealed back in March how Toon chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan was demanding that the Magpies keep hold of his “favourite player” after the hotshot fired them to Wembley glory.
We can reveal that he is doubling down on that stance and standing right behind boss Howe by refusing to cash in for what would be a British record fee.
Toon chiefs feel that Liverpool’s public pursuit was a ploy to unsettle their prized asset and we revealed how he would be keen on a switch to Merseyside.
But keeping Isak, a club-record £63m signing from Real Sociedad in 2022, and tying him down to a new-and-improved lengthy package was Howe’s top aim and there are still hopes that can be achieved.
Isak’s camp were left disappointed 12 months ago when a promise of a pay rise from his current £130,000-a-week made by the Magpies’ former co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi failed to happen.
That was down to one of the first decisions from the now ex-sporting director Paul Mitchell to put those negotiations on ice as he felt the ace was already handsomely paid and felt secure as he was tied to the club until 2028.
Despite Mitchell’s departure and talks still planned by Newcastle, there has still been no progress and it remains unclear whether Isak is willing to commit his long-term future to the club.
Though SunSport knows Newcastle are willing to smash their £150,000-a-week pay ceiling and make him the best-paid player in their history with a £200k-plus package.
Isak was in Austria with the rest of Newcastle’s squad at a pre-season training camp this week after not featuring in last weekend’s 4-0 behind-closed-doors friendly victory over Carlisle.
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