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Alan Shearer cannot believe Alexander Isak didn't foresee his current predicament(Image: YouTube/The Rest Is Football)

Alan Shearer has expressed his surprise that Alexander Isak didn't insist on a release clause when negotiating his contract with Newcastle United.

The relationship between Isak and the Magpies has reached boiling point as he continues to push for a blockbuster move to Liverpool.

The Swedish striker has been in the crosshairs of the Premier League champions for weeks, with a potential record-breaking British transfer hanging in the balance.



Newcastle quickly responded with a statement of their own, denying any such commitments to the player and emphasising they expect Isak to stay and reintegrate with the squad, despite reports he has vowed never to play for the Magpies again.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Newcastle legend Shearer said that if Isak - who joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022 - had plans to leave the club, he shouldn't have signed a six-year contract without a formal "get-out" option.

"It's a sad situation," the 55-year-old said.

That's what I'd be saying - you need something in writing.

Isak says his relationship with Newcastle "cannot continue"(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)

"When you're in a strong position, as he was, when they were paying 60-odd million pounds for him, on a six-year deal, and there's no get-out clause, you all know as well as I do, we've all been in the game long enough, you can't just accept [verbal promises].

"And by the way, who was it [that made the promise]?

The 25-year-old was reportedly given assurances of a fresh deal that would have positioned him amongst the Premier League's highest-paid players, but a shift in club management and worries over PSR compliance are understood to have derailed the arrangement.

Shearer thinks Isak should have asked for an exit clause in writing(Image: Serena Taylor, Newcastle United via Getty Images)

It's claimed that Isak made his intentions to leave Newcastle clear shortly after the contract talks collapsed, though many at St James' Park dispute this.

At that time, the Magpies were chasing Hugo Ekitike, only for Liverpool to deliver an ultimatum: sell us Isak, or we will nab Ekitike.

Newcastle refused to shift their stance on Isak, but in doing so, missed out on Ekitike, who instead moved to Liverpool in a package worth up to £79m.
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