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If Liverpool and Newcastle United fans thought the weekend and the return of English league fixtures would stem the flow of transfer news surrounding the clubs, those hopes were well and truly dashed.
The Alexander Isak saga is dominating the market this summer. It has turned into the biggest transfer story of the window, one that will have knock-on effects for several other deals and clubs. Saturday alone underlined that.
Most supporters woke up to fresh quotes from Eddie Howe, with the Newcastle boss publicly confirming the Magpies had rejected Liverpool’s offer from the previous day, before adding he only knew of Isak’s whereabouts via news reports.
“I was made aware of a bid yesterday and that bid was turned down, all before I’d even heard about it,” he said. “People back in England are dealing with the situation.”
Howe failed to be drawn on Newcastle’s interest in Benjamin Sesko, but a few hours later reports broke that a formal offer had been submitted for the RB Leipzig man. The bid was for an initial €75 million ($87M) and a further €5m in add-ons, claimed Sky Sports News.
The plot continued to thicken as the day went on, with The Athletic reporting Isak was due to fly back to the UK and resume training with Newcastle next week.
The player had been working on his own fitness at his former club Real Sociedad, having missed the team’s pre-season tour of the Far East.
Before we had time to catch our breath, another update: Sesko, the man possibly seen as Isak’s replacement, had been left out of Leipzig’s squad for the friendly against Atalanta.
Then the news that Liverpool fans wanted to hear. As per the Daily Mail, the Reds have not walked away from their interest in Isak. Reports on Friday stated the club wouldn’t come back to the table, but the report in the Mail claimed that is very much a temporary stance. If Newcastle can complete deals for Sesko and Brentford’s Yoanne Wissa, and Liverpool make a British record transfer offer, then an exit remains possible.
Transfer reporter Sacha Tavolieri claimed on X that talks between Liverpool and Newcastle will resume next week, with Isak only keen on a move to Anfield, something he has made clear to his current employers.
On Newcastle’s potential replacement, Ben Jacobs added that Brentford’s view on selling Wissa is starting to soften. The transfer reporter claimed the Bees could be willing to let him leave as Newcastle “prepared to place a new bid”.
With the sun setting in the UK by that stage, it looked to be the end of the drama for one day - but then David Ornstein dropped a late update: Newcastle’s offer for Sesko had fallen short of Leipzig’s valuation of the player.
Sky Sports’ Keith Downie added further details and wrote on X that Newcastle’s approach hadn’t been rejected or accepted and negotiations are ongoing over the structure of the deal. The player’s agent is said to be travelling to Leipzig on Saturday night for talks.
But talkSPORT reported Sesko is holding out for a move to Manchester United, in what could be a bitter blow to both Newcastle and Liverpool.
Got all that? Stay tuned on Sunday for the latest in this ongoing soap opera.
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