Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has provided an update on the future of Alexander Isaac at St. James Park, amid interest from Liverpool.
Isaac did not travel with the rest of Newcastle teams for preseason camp in Asia, but initially claimed this was due to the striker dealing with thigh injuries.
But the real reason for Isaac’s absence is that he informed Newcastle of his desire to “explorate” the transfer during the summer window.
Newcastle standout has attracted attention from several elite clubs after scoring 27 goals in 42 appearances last season, but Liverpool is currently leading the race for his signature.
Isak was able to “set conditions” when Al-Hilal plots the movement, but he reportedly determined that he was “set in mind” to join Liverpool this summer.
It remains to be seen whether the Reds will be able to sign an ISAK deal, as Darwin Nunes, Lewis Diaz and/or Harvey Elliott exits have invested around £260 million in signing this summer despite the exits to raise funds.
Read: Liverpool’s transfer strategy is “Hodl, hodl, hodl, and the boom!”
Hau was friendly with Arsenal on Sunday and, of course, held a press conference before Isaac was mentioned.
Hau “hopes” that Isaac will “stay” but confirmed that there are no talks going on to extend the contract beyond 2028.
“He’s injured in Newcastle right now. I hope he’ll come back soon and play with his black and white shirt. That’s what we want to see,” Howe said at his press conference.
“Of course, there’s something going on behind the scenes. The conversations that take place between Alex and us, Alex and the club remain private.
“He is extremely popular in the dressing room and hopes to continue his journey in Newcastle, with no contract consultations going on.
“I certainly hope he will stay. It’s football and I know what the future will bring.”
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This proves to be an annoying window for Newcastle as Newcastle missed James Trafford to Newcastle, and Howe admits it is “challenging.”
“This window is challenging for us. We have multiple players looking in multiple positions,” added Howe.
“Other clubs will say the same thing. As prices go up and the pool of players gets smaller, it’s a challenging window.
“We are actively in the market, we are looking for it, we need to do business and we need to bring players.
“Every game we have requires options and depth, a completely different campaign in the Champions League.
“I hope we can take players, not just players who can make a difference, but players who can take them. They won’t stop until the window closes.”