Alexander Isak's current standoff with Newcastle amid interest from Liverpool is familiar ground for the Swedish forward.
He's made his intentions to leave St James' Park clear, and despite a hefty £110 million ($148 million) offer from the Reds being turned down by the Magpies, the saga continues. Newcastle has stood firm on its stance that Isak isn't up for grabs, yet the 25-year-old has found himself training solo after skipping their preseason jaunt to Asia.
With the new season looming and Newcastle's first Premier League game against Aston Villa on August 16, it would be quite the shock if he were to feature in Eddie Howe's lineup.
Liverpool's interest in Isak hasn't waned, and the Reds might just table a second bid. But even after shipping Luis Diaz off to Bayern Munich and agreeing Darwin Nunez's sale to Al-Hilal, they're not about to be taken for a ride.
Despite his youth, Isak's career has already seen its fair share of transfer tussles. Let's take a stroll down memory lane...
Real Madrid U-turn and Tuchel row
Back when he was a teenage prodigy at AIK Solna, Isak caught the eye of several top European clubs, including Real Madrid. He had agreed terms with the Spanish team soon after turning 17 but then had second thoughts.
Choosing Borussia Dortmund instead, he cited the Bundesliga outfit's knack for nurturing young stars. Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine, he said: "Everyone knows that Borussia is a good club to develop at as a young player because so many of them are in the first team. I want to play here and I am waiting for my chance, and I'll take it when it comes."
However, Isak's transfer only served to stir up tension behind the scenes, with then-manager Thomas Tuchel and the club's top brass at odds. Tuchel distanced himself from the signing in a press conference by claiming he'd never heard of the young player, leading chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke to issue an apology to Isak.
Tuchel was miffed about being left out of the loop on the transfer, curtly directing queries about Isak to: "Talk to [Dortmund sporting director] Michael Zorc [about it]."
Despite Tuchel's subsequent departure, Isak struggled for game time as Dortmund saw three different coaches in just one year. A loan stint in the Netherlands with Willem II proved pivotal in reviving his career before he sealed a move to Real Sociedad in 2019 for a steal at £7.5 million ($10.1 million).
Buyback clause
Dortmund had the foresight to include a buy-back option in the region of £26 million ($35 million) when it sold him. With Isak finding the net regularly for Sociedad, Dortmund mulled over re-signing him as a potential successor to Erling Haaland.
Yet, Isak's preference to remain in Spain led Sociedad to agree on a £5 million ($6.7 million) fee with Dortmund to remove the buy-back clause in the summer of 2021. Raising some eyebrows, he remarked at that time: "I'm fully aware that there is a clause.
"All I can say is that Dortmund is in my past and not in my future. I'm doing very well here, and I'm not thinking about going back at all. I'm only focusing on Real Sociedad at the moment."
Arsenal interest
As Isak's reputation soared, he began drawing interest from the Premier League, with Arsenal amongst those keeping tabs on him. The Gunners made an attempt to secure his signature in early 2022, but a deal never came to fruition.
Sociedad sporting director Roberto Olabe responded to the speculation surrounding Isak by declaring the club was "well protected" thanks to his release clause, believed to be in the region of £75 million ($100.9 million).
Isak pushes through transfer
The Magpies didn't need to pay the full £75 million to land Isak, though there were fraught negotiations as they worked to complete the deal, ultimately stumping up a club-record £63 million ($84.7 million) for his signature.
Just before the transfer, Sociedad remained confident Isak would remain at the club, with president Jokin Aperribay telling Spanish media: "We did not expect Isak to leave."
Nevertheless, once Isak's representatives made Sociedad aware of their client's wish to join Newcastle, the club's position became untenable. Whether a comparable situation develops with Liverpool in the coming weeks is yet to be determined.