Liverpool continue to be interested in Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak despite seeing £110m bid rejected last week
Alexander Isak of Newcastle United(Image: Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Michael Owen believes Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak moving to Liverpool “ticks a lot of boxes” and has dismissed criticism over the pursuit of the player. The Reds saw a £110million bid for Isak rejected by the Magpies last week having been long-time admirers of the Sweden international.
Isak has informed Newcastle of his desire to seek a fresh challenge elsewhere, with Liverpool understood to be his preferred destination. Reports have also suggested he has no intention of signing a new contract at St James’ Park, with three years left to run on his present deal.
The 25-year-old missed Newcastle’s tour of the Far East due to a minor injury and was instead spotted training in Spain with a personal instructor, but has since returned to the Magpies’ training ground amid a warning from boss Eddie Howe that he must “earn the right” to rejoin the first-team squad.
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Liverpool have no plans to make a second bid for Isak as things stand, but haven’t ended their interest and are keeping a watchful eye on developments at Newcastle.
And while both the Reds and Isak have been lambasted by some for their behaviour, former Newcastle and Liverpool forward Owen believes their respective actions are merely par for the course.
“This is not a strange scenario,” he said. “It happens all the time. It’s a high-profile scenario, but it’s the same scenario as what happens all the time.
“There are a lot of simple things that go into the discussion. From Newcastle’s point of view, they’ve got a player who’s under contract, and they’ve got to weigh up the balance of the finances, what they could receive, maybe having an unhappy player, or maybe keeping someone against his will.
“But at the end of the day, they’ve got him tied to a contract, so they do hold a big say in this whole scenario. There are three different positions at play here, and we’ll see how it transpires.”
Owen added: “Remember that Newcastle are obviously in the Champions League as well. At the start of the season, Newcastle are offering exactly what Liverpool are in terms of the competitions they’re in.
“However, we all, or at least the vast majority of people, would say that Liverpool have a better chance of winning the league, winning the Champions League, and winning other trophies than Newcastle.
“And if that’s the case, and the contract will inevitably be a lot better if he makes a move to Liverpool, then it ticks a lot of boxes. You can see why it could be turning the player’s head. You can see why Liverpool would want him.”
Liverpool are in the process of reconfiguring their forward options, with Hugo Ekitike having joined from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial £69m while Luis Diaz has departed to Bayern Munich for £65.5m.
And speaking to AskGamblers on behalf of the ECHO, Owen believes Darwin Nunez could be the next to leave the club.
“Listen, Nunez is obviously a talented boy, that’s why he got signed by Liverpool, but is he going to be a starter?” said Owen. “Is he going to improve significantly enough to justify it? If you’re going to be a Liverpool centre-forward at the moment, you need to be one of the very, very best in the world. And is he that? I don’t think so, no.
“I think he’s an asset that Liverpool will be thinking about trading, depending on how they go in the transfer market. If Isak comes, then I think he might be surplus, and they might be best offloading and getting some money for him, because he is going to be in demand for a certain type of team.”
Of Diaz departing, Owen added: “I was surprised. From the player’s point of view, I couldn’t understand why he would want to leave the reigning champions, a team that’s going to have an excellent chance of winning the Champions League this season, for a team that isn’t as good as Liverpool at the moment, in my opinion.
“So, unless Liverpool wanted to cash in or needed to bring some money in to re-energise other positions, I don’t know. He’s definitely replaceable, but I did like him. I thought he was good, and he will be missed.”