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Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak is reportedly due to return to Tyneside today after spending the week in Spain training individually at his former club, Real Sociedad's, facilities.
Liverpool made an offer for Isak earlier this week that was rejected, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe confirmed earlier. The Magpies are set to face Spurs in South Korea tomorrow, with a game on Friday lined up at St James' Park against Espanyol.
According to Sky Sports, Isak should be flying back to Tyneside today. The rest of the Newcastle team will return on Monday with the new Premier League season now just a couple of weeks away.
"I was made aware of a bid yesterday and that bid was turned down, all before I’d even heard about it," Howe said this morning. "People back in England are dealing with the situation.
"I don’t know what happens next. From our perspective, we still support Alex in every way. My wish is that we see him in a Newcastle shirt again.
"I know where he is, really, through the media. From that perspective, it’s difficult for me to go into any kind of detail. The situation is far from ideal and is quite complex."
In the last 24 hours, Newcastle has lodged a formal bid worth $93 million (£70 million) including add-ons for Benjamin Sesko, the RB Leipzig forward who could replace Isak.
According to The Athletic, the bid matches what the Bundesliga side is demanding for the Slovenian. Around $87 million (£65 million) would be guaranteed, with a small amount of performance-related bonuses on top.
Newcastle and Manchester United have both made it clear to Sesko that they want to sign him, however, and the player's decision has not yet been confirmed. He has been left out of Leipzig's friendly against Atalanta today.
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"We are looking at the best players we can get," Howe said when he was pressed on Sesko, in particular. "We are only looking at the best we can get. I see all situations open and available to us.
"I feel that is the only way we are going to get where we want to go, which is to maximize quality over quantity. That is the way it has always been, the way we work, we try to improve, and we have done it pretty well to this point.
"It has been a challenging summer, as you know. We have missed out on loads of different targets for different reasons. But we are still very competitive and we are still in there trying to bring good players to the club, that won't change until the window shuts."
Liverpool.com says: If Sesko does move to Newcastle, then it makes sense that its Isak stance would soften. He is going to be expensive, but Liverpool has the funds.
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