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Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has urged a quick resolution to Alexander Isak's current situation, sympathizing with the player amid speculation linking him with Liverpool.
Isak has voiced his willingness to leave St James' Park and was conspicuously missing from the squad's Far East tour due to a minor thigh problem and doubts surrounding his future.
Liverpool has been pursuing the Swedish forward for considerable time and submitted an official offer understood to be around $145 million (£110 million), which Newcastle swiftly rejected. With Isak anticipated to return to training, Magpies boss Eddie Howe has emphasized that the player must show the proper mentality to integrate with the group.
Liverpool remains alert, monitoring whether Isak will force through an exit. Shearer, speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, expressed his comprehension of the circumstances: "No, I'm not angry at all towards him. I understand how football works, I know what happens in and around the game.
"I probably understand his mentality. Do I like it? Do I understand it? Probably two different things. But I know what football is about and I know how it works, and obviously Liverpool have been into him or his agent."
Should Isak prove impossible to reintegrate, Shearer believes Newcastle ought to sell quickly and reinvest in bolstering Howe's squad after a chaotic summer transfer window.
He further commented: "I just thought it might have happened next year and if it really is impossible for Eddie to turn him around and he says no, and it sounds like that is the case, I want him to be out now.
"You get your big money for him, whoever's prepared to pay that and you get other people in, hopefully beforehand, and then you move on.
"As I said, no individual is bigger than any football club, and if he doesn't want to be there, fine, get what you can and get him out and say thanks very much for the memories, off you go."
Isak was joined at Newcastle by fellow countryman Anthony Elanga, a big-money signing from Nottingham Forest, although the club have missed out on a number of targets, including James Trafford, Bryan Mbeumo, Liam Delap and Joao Pedro.
They secured Aaron Ramsdale on loan from Southampton over the weekend, but Shearer admits it has been a 'really poor' summer so far for the Magpies.
"Up to now it's been a disastrous window for Newcastle," Shearer added.
"It was meant to be the time we kicked on with heavy investment and hopefully go to another level. It's been anything but that to be honest.
"They've missed out on several first-choice targets, so up to now it's been really poor. Their transfer window has been a mess."
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