Alexander Isak 'issues ultimatum to Newcastle' as Liverpool offered fresh hope of deal

Alexander Isak is reportedly demanding that Newcastle break their wage structure if he is to sign a new contract at St James' Park. Eddie Howe's outfit had turned down all advances from Liverpool for their talisman, insisting that he is not for sale, but are aware that he is yet to pen fresh terms and pledge his future to the club.

The Reds turned their interest to Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike, who is jetting to England on Monday to complete a £79million transfer, after a £120m enquiry to Newcastle was firmly rejected. There has been no indication that a move for Ekitike would end any future interest in Isak.

TalkSPORT claim that Isak has issued an ultimatum by telling Newcastle to offer him a £300,000-a-week salary or risk losing the Swede. They are determined to keep hold of Isak amid interest from Anfield and the Saudi Pro League, but committing to such a request would blow their pay structure out of the water.

Isak has three years left on his current contract, but his stock has risen dramatically since arriving in the Premier League in 2022 from Real Sociedad in a £59m move. He is considered the most in-demand striker this summer and was told to return home by Howe for their recent friendly defeat to Celtic.

Howe conceded that speculation surrounding Isak's future was his reason for dismissing the forward, who is expected to join up with the rest of the squad in the Far East for their pre-season tour to Singapore and South Korea.

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"It was my decision," Howe said as Joelinton, who was also absent from the match, watched on from the stands. "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."

Newcastle are demanding a British record fee to consider selling Isak, thought to be north of £150m, while Howe admitted that he could not guarantee that Isak would be at the club next season.

"It's difficult for me to give 100 per cent clarity on any player," the head coach added. "Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players, the staff, the team. I'm confident he'll be here at the start of the season.

"We have a few of those players who are irreplaceable. We're desperate to keep Alex part of our team."

Liverpool's pending move for Ekitike will take them close to £300m in spending this summer already, but could pave the way hypothetically for Isak by selling Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.

Nunez, who will no longer be joining Napoli, retains Saudi Arabian interest, while Diaz may yet leave for Bayern Munich.

German reports claim that Vincent Kompany's outfit are confident of reaching an agreement for the winger and are prepared to pay £65m for him. They already had a bid of £58.5m rejected and Liverpool want £85m for the 28-year-old.