Eddie Howe has admitted that he has no idea what the future holds for Alexander Isak after Liverpool‘s failed attempt to sign him. The Reds have been chasing Isak for a number of weeks, having initially reached out to Newcastle last month. They firmed up their interest with an official bid on Friday but saw their proposal immediately rejected by the Magpies.
Liverpool were said to have tabled an offer in the region of £110million but Newcastle were quick to rebuff their advances. It has since been reported that a second bid will not be forthcoming, with the Reds having pulled out of negotiations. Newcastle have made it clear that Isak, who is desperate to join Liverpool, has a non-negotiable price tag of £150m.
Those in power at St James’ Park have reportedly been left furious with the way Liverpool have handled the situation. Isak, meanwhile, has travelled to Spain to prepare for the new season using Real Sociedad’s training facilities.
Howe was quizzed for an update in the early hours of Saturday morning and said he did not know what would happen next.
“I was made aware of a bid yesterday and that it was turned down, all before I’d even heard about it,” explained the Newcastle boss.
“People in England are dealing with the situation. I don’t know what happens next. From our perspective, we still support Alex in every way.
“My wish is that we see him in a Newcastle shirt again. I know where he is [training at Real Sociedad] really, through the media. From that perspective, it’s difficult for me to go into any kind of detail. The situation is far from ideal and is quite complex.
“In terms of trying to upset players, all that kind of stuff, from my perspective, we can only talk about our conduct. We try to do things the right way.
“Signings are always complex. We just try to do what we think is right. I can’t talk about other clubs, it’s not for me to say.”
It remains to be seen if Liverpool will go back in for Isak at a later date, with his future still very much up in the air. He remains tied down to Newcastle until the summer of 2028 but is clearly unsettled, having had his head turned by the Reds’ interest.
The forward declared himself unavailable for Newcastle‘s ongoing tour of the Far East, citing a thigh injury. It is not clear if he will return to training with the rest of his team-mates when they return to English shores next week.
Isak scored 27 goals in 42 appearances last season, helping Newcastle to win the Carabao Cup and book their place in the Champions League for the upcoming campaign.
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