‘The message from Newcastle…’ – Romano has an update for Liverpool fans on ‘contacts’ for Isak | OneFootball

Alexander Isak has been the ‘desire for many clubs’ in the weeks and months leading up to the summer transfer window.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who’s namechecked Liverpool among those who’ve sounded out Newcastle about the Swedish striker, who the Magpies reportedly value at an eye-watering £150m (Luke Edwards).

The St James’ Park outfit have had enquiries coming their way in relation to the 25-year-old, but each of those has been given short shrift.

What has Romano now said about Isak?

In an update on his eponymous YouTube channel, Romano shared his latest information on attempts from Liverpool to try and sway the Tyneside outfit into selling Isak.

The Italian transfer reporter claimed: “The message coming from Newcastle is very clear, especially in case of Champions League football. The very clear idea of the owners, the management, all the people at the club, is that Alexander Isak will be part of Newcastle’s squad next season.

“He’s been the desire for many clubs. For example, Liverpool had some contacts at the beginning of the summer transfer window – it’s not started yet officially, but from April and May – to understand the situation of Alexander Isak, but the message from Newcastle was very clear. They don’t want to sell the player.

“Same for Arsenal, he’s always been the number one desire for Mikel Arteta but they understand that it’s probably not going to be possible this summer unless they do something completely crazy in terms of transfer fee and offer to the player, so not an easy deal at all.”

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Isak swoop seems like a no-go for Liverpool

Newcastle will guarantee Champions League football for next season if they win at home to Everton on Sunday (a draw may also suffice depending on results from elsewhere), so they’re understandably confident of retaining Isak for at least one more year.

Having struck 27 goals in all competitions this term (only Mo Salah has scored more than his 23 in the Premier League), it’s easy to see why the Magpies are desperate to keep him, and why Liverpool have tested the waters to try and entice him to Anfield.

However, if the Tynesiders are holding out for at least £150m for the Swedish hitman and the Reds are going all-in on a potential nine-figure swoop for Florian Wirtz, it’s incredibly unlikely that LFC would have the budget to sign both players in the same transfer window.

If the Premier League champions are looking to bring in a prolific centre-forward this summer, a cheaper yet still potent alternative to consider is Benjamin Sesko, who’s reportedly keen on playing for the Merseysiders and could be attainable after RB Leipzig’s failure to qualify for Europe.

With Newcastle unsurprisingly declaring ‘hands-off’ over Isak, the Slovenian could be the more viable option for Liverpool to pursue if they’re on the lookout for a new number 9, should Darwin Nunez depart.