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Alexander Isak's costly transfer error has been exposed as the striker appears increasingly likely to miss out on his dream Liverpool move.
Isak's future has remained uncertain over the course of this summer, with the 25-year-old forward still keen to join the Premier League title holders. The situation has become toxic, however, with Isak initially being excluded from the Magpies' pre-season tour, before Liverpool's $148M offer was turned down at the start of this month.
It then emerged that the Sweden international had informed the club of his desire to leave and never play for the club again, resulting in him training alone and being omitted from Newcastle's Premier League curtain-raiser against Aston Villa.
On the night of the Professional Footballers' Association awards ceremony, which Isak chose not to attend, he issued an explosive statement, declaring "promises have been broken" and "trust has been lost" between the club and player.
Newcastle hit back with their own statement, expressing their "disappointment", but crucially maintaining that Isak would be welcomed back into the first team setup whenever he was "ready to rejoin his team-mates". As of yet, that doesn't seem to be the case.
Isak was unsurprisingly absent from Monday night's heated Premier League fixture between Newcastle and Liverpool at St James' Park, which the Reds won 3-2 in the final moments despite a fightback from Eddie Howe's 10-man side.
Isak's lack of involvement hasn't won him any sympathy from Newcastle fans, who have branded him "greedy" in their chants this season. But according to a report shared on Sky Sports' Sunday Supplement, the entire transfer saga between the club and player could have been avoided this summer if the forward had approached his move differently.
It was said how Isak could have instead outlined his reasons for wanting to leave at the start of the summer rather than waiting until August, by which time Liverpool had already secured Newcastle's preferred potential replacement, Hugo Ekitike. A public expression of gratitude towards the Magpies' supporters and staff would have also gone a long way.
It's reported that Newcastle were open to letting him leave and began to explore the conditions of his sale. This involved, firstly, bringing in two players and, secondly, negotiating an acceptable transfer fee with Liverpool.
Negotiations between Liverpool and Newcastle wouldn't have been a problem had they happened much earlier in the summer, it is felt.
However, the sale conditions haven't been fulfilled as Newcastle haven't brought in two players, and the club won't leave themselves short with just a few days remaining in the summer transfer window.
Newcastle had identified several players as potential replacements should Isak depart, all of whom have now joined rival clubs. Joao Pedro was one such target, with the Magpies having seen a bid rejected for the Brazilian, before Chelsea stepped in with a better offer to secure his services.
The Blues also managed to secure another of Howe's targets, Liam Delap, who chose to join the Stamford Bridge side over Newcastle. The Magpies then shifted their focus to Eintracht Frankfurt's Ekitike, who was also on Liverpool's radar, despite their interest in Isak.
Newcastle didn't succeed in that pursuit either, with reports suggesting a $94M bid was turned down as the Frenchman opted for his preferred club in a $106M transfer. Following that, Magpies bosses raced to sign Benjamin Sesko, even making a second bid before the Slovenian chose Manchester United.
On Monday night, before the Liverpool match, Newcastle chiefs held discussions with their unsettled star player in a last-ditch effort to persuade him to stay.
As per the Daily Mail, Newcastle co-owner Jamie Reuben and a PIF delegation held the talks at Isak's home in an attempt to smooth things out. It is suggested that a new contract would potentially be at the heart of discussions, should Isak promise to stay.
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