8 hours ago
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Jamie Carragher has criticised Newcastle as being "divorced from reality" after they rejected Liverpool's £110million bid for Alexander Isak as "derisory". Isak is keen on a move to Anfield and released a statement this week accusing the Magpies of going back on their word.
"The reality is that promises were made and the club has known my position for a long time," said Isak. "To now act as if these issues are only emerging is misleading. When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can't continue."
Newcastle responded to Isak's claims, stating that "the conditions of a sale this summer have not transpired" and that they "do not foresee those conditions being met".
The Tyneside club value Isak at £150m, though Reds legend Carragher believes that figure would be "too much".
In his Telegraph column, Carragher stated: "Obviously I would like to see the Swedish striker become a Liverpool player, but not at any cost, and the suggestion that the first £110m offer for Isak is 'derisory' is divorced from reality.
"If Liverpool bid more than £130 million, it is too much. You would want Kylian Mbappé for the fee. From the moment Isak made his debut against Liverpool at Anfield, he has stood out, but there are concerns.
"Now 25, he is yet to prove he has the durability of Salah. He has failed to start 36 league games over his three seasons in England and 10 of his last 44 league goals were penalties. He would not be taking them at Anfield.
"Liverpool knew from the outset how tough it would be to convince Newcastle to sell.
"Once Newcastle qualified for the Champions League, my instinct was the door shut.
"Newcastle have the power to resist because Isak has three years to run, and they can also anticipate big earnings from a European campaign, making such a sale unnecessary.
"No matter what Isak wanted privately, there was a fair assumption it would be another 12 months before such a transfer was tolerable at St James' Park.
"Signing a new deal with the written guarantees Isak claims were made verbally would have forced the move in 2026.
"Now it is carnage. Howe is currently without his best player, and reintegrating him has become more complicated after the understandably hostile reaction of Newcastle fans at Villa Park last weekend."
Isak is presently training separately from Newcastle's first team having missed their pre-season tour of Asia, and he was absent from Newcastle's opening fixture against Aston Villa, which concluded as a 0-0 stalemate.
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