Eddie Howe sends Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak home due to ongoing ‘speculation’ as Liverpool linked – ‘It was my decision’
Updated 19/07/2025 at 18:34 GMT+1
Eddie Howe directly addressed the speculation linking Alexander Isak with a move away from St James' Park this summer. The 25-year-old has been integral to Newcastle United's resurgence under Howe, and the head coach is hopeful that the Swede will still be in his squad come the start of next season. The Magpies were heavily beaten in a pre-season friendly defeat to Celtic on Saturday.
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Eddie Howe admitted he took Alexander Isak out of the limelight amid the ongoing "speculation" surrounding the striker’s future.
Newcastle United travelled north of the border for a pre-season friendly against Celtic at Parkhead, and were soundly beaten 4-0 thanks to goals from Arne Engels, Johnny Kenny, Yang Hyun-Jun and Liam Scales.
A strong Magpies team lined up for a match against the Scottish champions, with the likes of Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Harvey Barnes and Bruno Guimaraes in the side.
Isak was a notable absentee, with Howe deciding not to take the Swedish frontman to Glasgow for this early pre-season clash.
Howe told reporters: "It was my decision. I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him.
"The last thing he wanted is to be sat in the stand watching, that wasn’t fair to him. But I’m confident he will be a Newcastle player come the end of the window."
A report from The Athletic claimed that Liverpool had made an approach to sign Isak, with the Premier League champions prepared to pay £120 million for an audacious transfer.
TNT Sports reported on Monday that Liverpool are reviewing options in the market, but there had been no direct contact between the two clubs.
Isak enjoyed a superb campaign last season, scoring 23 goals in 34 Premier League games as the club finished fifth and secured a return to the UEFA Champions League.
He also scored in the League Cup final, helping Newcastle win their first major trophy in 56 years following a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Wembley.
There is expected to be plenty of movement with Liverpool's attacking players this summer, with Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz the subject of interest from Napoli and Bayern Munich respectively.
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Meanwhile, Arne Slot's side have already brought in Florian Wirtz in a club-record deal, alongside the acquisitions of Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
Hugo Ekitike is also reportedly on the verge of a move to Anfield, with Newcastle pipped to the post in their quest to sign the 23-year-old from Eintracht Frankfurt.
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