Eddie Howe has spoken about the possibility of Alexander Isak joining Liverpool.
Eddie Howe was quizzed on Alexander Isak following Newcastle's defeat to Celtic
Eddie Howe has insisted that he is 'confident' about Alexander Isak staying at Newcastle despite significant interest from Liverpool. The forward has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield and appears to be facing an uncertain future. Liverpool are known to be long-term admirers of Isak and reached out to Newcastle earlier this week.
No bid was submitted but the Reds were said to have informed Newcastle that they were interested in doing business. Nothing came of it, though, with the Magpies making it clear that Isak was not for sale. However, their determination to avoid losing the striker has done little to quell the rumours surrounding his future.
Speaking after Newcastle's friendly defeat to Celtic on Saturday afternoon, Howe took a defiant approach when quizzed on Isak but conceded that it would be impossible to rule out an exit.
"It's difficult for me to give 100 per cent clarity on any player," said the Magpies boss. "Alex is happy at Newcwstle, he loves the players, the staff, the team. I'm confident he'll be here at the start of the season."
Isak was not involved in Saturday's game at Parkhead, with Celtic securing a 4-0 victory in his absence. Newcastle were quick to issue an explanation for his absence, saying that it was important to manage his minutes at this stage of pre-season.
Howe, meanwhile, admitted that Isak was left out of the squad partly because of the speculation around his future.
Liverpool recently approached the Magpies to discuss a move for the Swedish striker
"It was my decision," explained Howe. "He travelled back to Glasgow with us but 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."
Asked if he could shed any more light on Isak's situation, Howe replied: "I've had discussions with him but that's not abnormal. I respect a player's career and how short it is.
"Alex has been really good, he's trained really well and I realise there'll be noise around him. Has there been any approach for Alex? No, there's been no formal approach.
"We have a few of those players who are irreplaceable. Your top players are so hard to find, so hard to recruit and so hard to develop, so when you have them, you need to treasure them. Of course we're desperate to keep him as part of our team."
Isak played 34 league games for Newcastle last season, chipping in with 23 goals. He is currently tied down until the summer of 2028 and is thought to be earning around £120,000 per week.
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