Inside Newcastle & Alexander Isak’s “completely broken” relationship as Liverpool in pole position for transfer

Liverpool remain in pole position for the transfer of Alexander Isak, with the Swedish striker’s relationship with Newcastle United considered “completely broken”.

CaughtOffside have consulted multiple sources in the industry, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, to try to gain as much understanding as possible on the state of this potential transfer deal.

There has been a public war of words in recent days between Isak and Newcastle, with the player remaining determined to get out of St James’ Park for his dream move to Liverpool.

The 25-year-old started by releasing a statement on Instagram on Tuesday night, hitting out at Newcastle over broken promises.

What’s gone wrong between Alexander Isak and Newcastle?

Explaining the precise meaning behind Isak’s words, one well-placed source told CaughtOffside that this related to both a new contract for the player himself, and Newcastle’s general transfer plans.

“Isak says he was promised a new contract and a pay rise, but those talks collapsed after the ownership change,” our source said.

“Former sporting director Paul Mitchell ended negotiations, leaving Isak disappointed both financially and in terms of the club’s sporting direction.

“He expected serious investment in the squad and infrastructure to compete at the top, but those plans never materialized.”

The ownership and general regime change seems to have had a key role here, with Newcastle now seen as being unable or unwilling to fulfil promises made by Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi.

Another source backed this up, and described the player’s relationship with the club as “completely broken”.

Alexander Isak only wants Liverpool

Despite links with Al Hilal and some growing interest from Real Madrid, everyone we spoke to was adamant that Isak only wants to join Liverpool.

Figures close to the situation described Isak as “pushing hard” to get his dream transfer to LFC, who remain in “pole position” to capitalise on this dire situation with Newcastle.

So far, the Premier League champions have had a £110m bid rejected by NUFC, who are adamant that their asking price of around £147m must be met.

More Stories / Latest News

CaughtOffside understands that Real Madrid won’t go near that, leaving Liverpool in a strong negotiating position as Isak’s preferred destination anyway.

It remains to be seen precisely when an improved bid could come, and how close the Reds will come to satisfying Newcastle’s demands.

However, the feeling in the industry is that it seems almost impossible for Isak and Newcastle to continue together.