1 week ago
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Michael Owen has expressed his belief that Newcastle United's striker Alexander Isak moving to Liverpool "ticks a lot of boxes", dismissing any criticism over the pursuit of the player. The Reds had a $140 million bid for Isak turned down by the Magpies last week, despite being long-time admirers of the Swedish international.
Isak has made it clear to Newcastle that he wishes to seek new opportunities elsewhere, with Liverpool being his preferred choice. There are also reports suggesting that he has no plans to sign a new contract at St James' Park, with three years remaining on his current deal.
The 25 year old was absent from Newcastle's tour of the Far East due to a minor injury and was instead seen training in Spain with a personal trainer, but has since returned to the Magpies' training ground. This comes after a warning from manager Eddie Howe that he must "earn the right" to rejoin the first-team squad.
As it stands, Liverpool have no intentions of making a second bid for Isak, but they haven't lost interest and continue to monitor the situation at Newcastle.
Despite some criticising both the Reds and Isak for their actions, former Newcastle and Liverpool forward Owen believes this is simply part of the game. "This is not a strange scenario," he said. "It happens all the time. It's a high-profile scenario, but it's the same scenario as what happens all the time.
"There are a lot of simple things that go into the discussion. From Newcastle's point of view, they've got a player who's under contract, and they've got to weigh up the balance of the finances, what they could receive, maybe having an unhappy player, or maybe keeping someone against his will.
"But at the end of the day, they've got him tied to a contract, so they do hold a big say in this whole scenario. There are three different positions at play here, and we'll see how it transpires."
Owen continued: "Remember that Newcastle are obviously in the Champions League as well. At the start of the season, Newcastle are offering exactly what Liverpool are in terms of the competitions they're in.
"However, we all, or at least the vast majority of people, would say that Liverpool have a better chance of winning the league, winning the Champions League, and winning other trophies than Newcastle.
"And if that's the case, and the contract will inevitably be a lot better if he makes a move to Liverpool, then it ticks a lot of boxes. You can see why it could be turning the player's head. You can see why Liverpool would want him."
The Reds are currently reshaping their attacking options, with Hugo Ekitike having arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial $91.8 million whilst Luis Diaz has moved to Bayern Munich for $87.1 million.
Speaking to AskGamblers on behalf of the ECHO, Owen suggests Darwin Nunez could be the next player to depart Anfield. "Listen, Nunez is obviously a talented boy, that's why he got signed by Liverpool, but is he going to be a starter?" said Owen.
"Is he going to improve significantly enough to justify it? If you're going to be a Liverpool centre-forward at the moment, you need to be one of the very, very best in the world. And is he that? I don't think so, no.
"I think he's an asset that Liverpool will be thinking about trading, depending on how they go in the transfer market. If Isak comes, then I think he might be surplus, and they might be best offloading and getting some money for him, because he is going to be in demand for a certain type of team."
Regarding Diaz's departure, Owen continued: "I was surprised. From the player's point of view, I couldn't understand why he would want to leave the reigning champions, a team that's going to have an excellent chance of winning the Champions League this season, for a team that isn't as good as Liverpool at the moment, in my opinion.
"So, unless Liverpool wanted to cash in or needed to bring some money in to re-energise other positions, I don't know. He's definitely replaceable, but I did like him. I thought he was good, and he will be missed."
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