Eddie Howe has admitted that he doesn’t know what’s going to occur subsequent after Liverpool had a bid for Alexander Isak turned down by Newcastle on Friday.
The striker has made it clear to his membership that he desires to go away this summer time and that he’s significantly eager on a transfer to Anfield. Liverpool have now had a £110m bid rejected after their sporting director, Richard Hughes, made an enquiry concerning the Sweden worldwide’s availability to Newcastle two weeks in the past. Newcastle worth Isak at £150m.
“I believe from my state of affairs, I’m very a lot faraway from the whole lot that’s taking place again dwelling,” Howe mentioned in a press convention in Seoul, the place Newcastle are on account of play Tottenham on Sunday. “I used to be made conscious there was a bid yesterday. That bid was turned down earlier than I heard about it.
“There are folks again in England coping with the state of affairs. I actually don’t know what’s going to occur subsequent, however from our perspective, we nonetheless help Alex in each manner, and my want continues to be that we see him in a Newcastle shirt once more.”
Isak has not been a part of the membership’s pre-season tour of Asia, which his employers mentioned was on account of a minor thigh harm. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old has been coaching at his former membership Actual Sociedad in Spain this week.
“I do know the place he’s by means of the media, so I believe from that perspective it’s tough for me to enter any element,” Howe mentioned. “The state of affairs is much from perfect. It’s fairly complicated. I believe that’s all I’ve received to say.”
Isak, who has scored greater than 20 Premier League targets in every of the final two seasons, nonetheless has three years left on his contract at St James’ Park. There was no progress on a brand new contract for him.
Newcastle are but to line up a substitute for Isak having did not signal a striker throughout this summer time’s window. They’re reported to have made a proper bid to RB Leipzig for Benjamin Sesko. It’s understood that the membership are tabling a proposal of €75m (£65.5m) plus €5m (£4.3m) in add-ons. That’s mentioned to match Leipzig’s valuation however Manchester United are additionally focusing on Sesko as a part of Ruben Amorin’s summer time rebuild of his squad.
“We’re in search of the perfect gamers that we will get,” Howe mentioned, refusing to touch upon Sesko individually. “No matter our goal place is, we’re in search of the perfect, so I see all conditions open and obtainable to us. I really feel that’s the one manner that we’re going to get to the place we need to go, which is to maximise, and it’s high quality over amount. It at all times has been.”
Newcastle’s opening provide for Yoane Wissa was rejected by Brentford final month, whereas they have been overwhelmed to the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitiké by Liverpool.
“It’s been a difficult summer time,” Howe mentioned. “We’ve missed out on varied targets for a great deal of completely different causes. However we’re nonetheless very aggressive and we’re nonetheless in there attempting to deliver excellent gamers to the membership and that gained’t change till the window shuts.”
Howe’s aspect have endured a tough pre-season thus far, with defeats to Celtic (4-0), Arsenal (3-2) and the Okay-League All Stars (1-0). The Denmark Below-21 striker Will Osula, who scored two targets in all competitions final season, began all three matches in Isak’s absence.
After going through Tottenham in Seoul, Newcastle will play Espanyol and Atlético Madrid at St James’ Park earlier than beginning their Premier League marketing campaign at Aston Villa on 16 August.