8 hours ago
40
Newcastle appears to be laying the groundwork for Alexander Isak to leave the club after striking a deal to sign Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart.
Isak informed Newcastle of his desire to leave the club last season, and has made himself unavailable for selection since the start of the new campaign in a bid to force through a move to Liverpool.
With the transfer window set to close on Monday, it was starting to feel unlikely that there would be enough time for all the pieces to fall into place to facilitate Isak's exit.
However, on Thursday it emerged that Newcastle had agreed a fee of over $90 million plus add-ons for Woltemade, with the club viewing him as a replacement for Isak.
Newcastle had not previously been linked with Woltemade, but he scored 17 goals for Stuttgart last season, prompting three unsuccessful bids from Bayern Munich — so the Magpies are clearly getting hold of a talented player.
The 23-year-old's talent was also recognized by Harvey Elliott, who came up against the soon-to-be Newcastle striker during the Under-21 European Championship this summer.
Woltemade took home the Golden Boot from that tournament after scoring six goals — one more than Elliott — and the Liverpool star spoke about being beaten to the accolade after the final.
"He's an incredible player, he's been so good this tournament," Elliott said. "I'm very happy for him and wish him all the best for the future."
Meanwhile, regarding Liverpool's pursuit of Isak, multiple reporters claim that the club is expected to come in with an improved offer for Isak after seeing a bid of just under $150 million rejected earlier in the summer.
It has been suggested that Newcastle values Isak at closer to $200 million, but it is likely that the amount of money required to convince the Magpies to sell will lie somewhere between those two figures.
Liverpool is reportedly willing to hand Isak a contract worth around $400,000 a week, which is significantly more lucrative than the improved $270,000 a week deal that Newcastle was planning to offer Isak.
Brentford, meanwhile, is reportedly preparing a bumper offer to sign Maximilian Beyer from Borussia Dortmund, which could pave the way for Yoane Wissa to complete his move to Newcastle.
Newcastle has been working on a deal to sign Wissa for several weeks, and the player is keen on the move, having made himself unavailable for selection for the Bees.
If Newcastle were to get deals for Woltemade and Wissa over the line in the coming days, Liverpool could end up signing Isak after all.
English (US) ·