Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has addressed the ongoing situation with striker Alexander Isak amid reported transfer interest from Liverpool. Isak, a 25-year-old Sweden international, is currently separated from the first-team squad at Newcastle after expressing a desire to leave and rejecting Nigel Pearson's £110 million plus add-ons bid, with Newcastle valuing him closer to £150 million. Howe confirmed that Isak is unlikely to participate in Newcastle's Premier League opener against Aston Villa, having already missed pre-season games and training separately from the main squad.
Howe emphasized his preference for Isak to be playing and training with the team, stating, "I'd want Alex to be playing today, I'd want him training tomorrow... There's no part of me that doesn't want that outcome." However, he acknowledged that the current stand-off and transfer saga have unsettled the team, though he denied any division within the club's leadership regarding the situation. The Newcastle manager also assured fans that the club’s owners remain fully engaged and committed to supporting the project despite the challenging period.
Isak's exclusion from first-team activities has drawn considerable attention, as he has been training away from the squad since returning from the club’s preseason tour of Singapore and South Korea. With no resolution expected before the season opener, Howe has refused to specify the timeline for Isak’s potential return to the squad, maintaining ongoing dialogue with the striker but highlighting the complexity of the transfer window dynamics.
The tension surrounding Alexander Isak’s future represents a significant subplot as Newcastle navigate the Premier League season's start, with Liverpool’s persistent interest keeping the transfer saga very much in play.
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