Liverpool target Alexander Isak has been warned not to expect a warm welcome back to Newcastle, with Eddie Howe saying “you have to act in the right way.”
Isak has returned to the UK following time spent at the training ground of former club Real Sociedad last week, with the striker pushing for an exit.
Though Liverpool have had a first bid worth around £110 million rejected and have since distanced themselves from an improved offer, the expectation is that a new approach will be made.
That will only come if and when Newcastle progress on a replacement, and in the meantime Isak is set to report back for work with his current club on Monday.
Speaking at the end of his side’s pre-season tour of Singapore and South Korea, Howe warned his No. 14: “No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal.”
“The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad – you have to act in the right way. So that is also at play here,” he told reporters.
“We will make sure that any player does that to earn the right to train with the group.”
The Newcastle manager added: “Of course I’d like him to be [involved], but whether he will I don’t know at this moment in time.
“We have been here with the time difference, preparing for training and for games. Other people have been dealing with that situation back at home.”
While Howe has been approachable on the subject, Newcastle‘s higher-ups have clearly pulled rank in terms of dealing with the player and his representatives.
The Mail‘s Craig Hope writes that the club did not know in advance that Isak had travelled for fitness work at Real Sociedad and “there is a growing acceptance inside the club that his sale is the best way forward for all parties.”
Sesko, Ramos and Watkins targeted; Saudis want Nunez
However for that to happen, Newcastle are adamant they must sign a replacement first, with negotiations ongoing over the structure of a deal worth €80 million for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Hope adds that “progress is expected” over the signing of Brentford‘s Yoane Wissa, who sat out their pre-season friendly against QPR on Saturday, while elsewhere he has revealed PSG’s Goncalo Ramos as an alternative to Sesko.
Aston Villa‘s Ollie Watkins is another option, with it clear that despite their earlier insistence that Isak is not for sale, they are exploring every avenue in order to replace him.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are set for an approach from Al-Hilal over a deal for Darwin Nunez, with The Athletic‘s David Ornstein reporting that he is now a priority for the Saudi club.