Newcastle -striker Alexander Isak is urging a move to Liverpool and Toon -Baas Eddie Howe has made a decision about his involvement in their upcoming friendly competitions
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has performed a U-Bend about Alexander Isak, with the striker now not expected in their coming friendly matches in the midst of Liverpool's constant interest in signing him.
Isak missed the Newcastle tour through Asia and was the subject of a huge bid from Liverpool that Newcastle eventually rejected. However, the Reds are set to restore their interest in Isak as soon as the move from Darwin Nunez to Al-Hilal is completed.
Isak is currently training the team of the first team, but it was previously suggested that Howe was ready to select him for the upcoming friendly matches of Newcastle against Espanyol and Atletico Madrid.
However, Howe has decided not to choose Isak for one of those games, as reported for the first time by the Daily Mail. It is understood that Newcastle is sticking to their position that they will only sell Isak if they are in a row.
Newcastle appreciates the 25-year-old at £ 150 million and has already missed two potential replacements. Hugo Ekitike eventually signed for Liverpool, while Benjamin Sesko is about to get to Manchester United.
When asked for the future of Isak earlier this week, HOWE said: “You have to earn the right to train with us. We are Newcastle United. The player here has a responsibility to be part of a team and part of a team – you have to act in the right way.
“So that also plays a role here. We will ensure that every player does that to earn the right to train with the group. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal.
“Of course I would like him (there), but I know whether he will do that in time at the moment. We have been here with the time difference, preparing for training and for games. Other people have treated that situation at home with that situation.”
Newcastle now weighs movements for a number of attackers, including Nicolas Jackson, Yoane Wissa and Ollie Watkins.
“We look at the best players we can get. We only look at the best we can get, I see all the situations open and available for us,” said Howe. “I feel that this is the only way to get where we want to go, namely maximizing the quality over quantity. It has been a challenging summer as you know. We have missed many different goals for various reasons.
“But we are still very competitive and we are still trying to bring good players to the club, that will not change until the window closes.”