The prospect of Liverpool making a record bid for Alexander Isak has ‘split’ the board at Newcastle United, who are likely to have a huge decision to make in the coming days.
Isak went public on his desire to explore transfer options last week in a decision that rocked Newcastle.
The Sweden international forward had not played the Magpies’ previous friendly against Celtic because of injury and was also left out of the squad to tour the Far East.
Speaking after a 3-2 loss against Arsenal on Sunday, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe expressed his concern at the situation.
After the game, he was asked if there was any chance of Isak joining the squad, and simply replied: “No.”
With Liverpool preparing a first offer for the 25-year-old, the Newcastle board are split over how to react to any bid, according to the Daily Mail.
“They must choose between negotiating and extracting maximum value for the player, or refuse all offers and tell Isak he is staying. Even within the camp, opinion is split as to which approach is best for the club,” it states.
Luis Diaz deal fuelling Liverpool’s Isak offer
Newcastle will have to make their minds up quickly over how to approach the situation. With Liverpool winger Luis Diaz closing in on a €75 million move to Bayern Munich, the Anfield club are set to be bolstered by fresh funds to make a record move for Isak.
Led by sporting director Richard Hughes, the Anfield club have already broken their transfer record this summer to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a €125m deal, and they appear to have the appetite to go even higher to land Isak.
Reports have indicated that an offer of around €170m (£150m) would test Newcastle’s resolve, having previously declared Isak untransferable. There is no united stance agreed upon in the St James’ Park boardroom yet, though.
Isak still has three years left on his Newcastle contract, while his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at €116m.
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