Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

View image in fullscreenAlexander Isak and Newcastle approach point of no return after striker’s latest outburst

Club say they want to keep Isak but a move is now in both’s interests and Eddie Howe is best off chasing other targets

As a general rule, it is almost always best to sleep on things before making important decisions or reacting to provocations.

The only problem is that while you can lead a horse to water it sometimes really is impossible to make them drink.



Jacob Ramsey delighted with £39m move from Aston Villa to Newcastle Read more

Even if – and right now it looks a pretty big if – Isak stops training alone and agrees to rejoin Newcastle’s first-team fold, how can Eddie Howe ever trust him again?

As the former Newcastle and Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez used to say: “All football is a lie.”

“We have been clear that the conditions for a sale this summer have not transpired,” read Newcastle’s statement on Tuesday night.

In an uncanny parallel, Wissa has also absented himself from first-team involvement at his club as he attempts to seal a longed-for move to St James’ Park.

View image in fullscreen

The ostensibly weird thing about the proposed Wissa deal is that the Saudis want £150m for Isak but have offered Brentford £40m for the DR Congo forward.

Perhaps more importantly, while three years remain on Isak’s contract with Newcastle, there is only one year left on Wissa’s with Brentford.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Newcastle £40m offer for Wissa, made on Wednesday afternoon, was swiftly rejected by Brentford but the hope of the club’s Saudi owners will be that a deal will eventually be done.

They also know that keeping Isak for another year could prove rather pointless given that he is clearly not committed to Howe’s cause and next summer’s price for a then 26-year-old with two years left on his contract is going to be nowhere near £150m.

Despite appearances to the contrary, the prospect of such a dwindling profit margin means it is still eminently possible to envisage Isak waking up as a Liverpool player on 2 September.
For more news relating to Newcastle United, visit our sister site NUFC Latest Live.