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Alexander Isak's final message into the Newcastle WhatsApp group was to thank them for the memories they made together with Dan Burn admitting, "There is no animosity."
The Sweden international pushed for a summer departure, eventually securing his wish on deadline day as he completed his switch to Liverpool in a British-record transfer. Isak was omitted from Newcastle's opening three Premier League fixtures of the campaign and was instructed to train separately from the first-team squad.
The forward faced backlash for his behavior as he persisted in seeking an exit, later making it apparent that he believed he had featured in his final match for the club. It came as Alan Shearer slammed Isak over his behavior.
Isak would subsequently issue a statement claiming the club had made broken promises. Newcastle's squad members continue to face questions about the Isak situation whenever they speak to journalists as they awaited confirmation of whether he would stay at St James' Park or depart.
Burn, however, maintains the club secured a favourable agreement and that everyone parted on amicable terms.
The England international said: "Alex is my mate at the end of the day, so it was a tough situation, but I'm glad that we're getting a good return on a player that we've had, and he's getting the move that he wanted.
"He put a message in the chat just saying that he was leaving, and thanks for the memories, all that sort of stuff, and the lads replied. Yeah, of course (it was all positive). But as I said, I think Alex is getting what he wants, and now we've just got to focus and do what we can with the players that we've got.
"It has brought us closer, really. I'm not silly, I've been around football a long time and people have short careers. They want to max out absolutely everything they can, so there's no hard feelings from me. I have nothing but good wishes for Alex. I understand why our fans are frustrated, but there is no animosity."
Burn and Isak were the pair who found the net in last season's Carabao Cup final as Newcastle stunned Liverpool to secure their first silverware in 70 years. The Swede's exit was made somewhat more palatable by the late signings of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, who strengthen the attacking options.
Newcastle is eager to put the transfer saga behind them, with new recruit Anthony Elanga maintaining that they've brought in quality despite Isak's departure.
He commented: "It has been chill. He had a contract with us and right now he is with Liverpool. We all think he is a very good player. We lost a good player but we also signed good players. Hopefully we can look forward and focus on this season."
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