‘Looks more likely…’ – Danny Murphy makes Isak transfer prediction and urges him to do one thing | OneFootball

Danny Murphy has implored Alexander Isak not to waste several months of his career in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup finals.

The striker has dominated the headlines in recent days after posting a statement on Tuesday night claiming that Newcastle broke ‘promises’ they made to him as he continues to push for a move to Liverpool, who had an opening offer of £110m rejected at the start of this month.

The Tyneside club have since come out to state that they have no intention of selling the 25-year-old unless their ‘conditions’ for a deal are met, and reliable reporters have indicated that they’re unlikely to sanction his sale without first bringing in centre-forward replacements.

Murphy expects Isak to remain at Newcastle this season

Speaking on talkSPORT, Murphy expects Isak to stay where he is, given the lack of alternatives at Newcastle so close to the transfer deadline, and has urged the Sweden international to build a bridge so that he can get back to playing football.

The ex-Liverpool midfielder said: “I think it looks more likely that he’s gonna stay and Newcastle are gonna dig in. I think it looks more that way, mainly because they haven’t got a replacement. I think if they had got [Benjamin] Sesko [who instead joined Manchester United], maybe they would’ve contemplated Liverpool’s bid.

“Even if Liverpool go up a bit [with a follow-up offer], I don’t see how Newcastle can let him go when they’ve got nobody to play centre-forward.

“What’s he going to do? He’s got his World Cup year. He’s got to keep playing anyway to keep up the interest in him if he goes next summer. What choice have you got? You’ve got to play football. Even if you have to apologise, you have to hold your hands up, whatever it is, he’s got to play football.”

(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Liverpool must try to seize upon Isak’s disenchantment at Newcastle

Murphy makes a valid point in terms of Isak not wanting to throw away the opportunity to play for Sweden at next year’s World Cup if they qualify for the finals in North America, but given how incendiary things have become in recent days, is there a way back for him at Newcastle?

As reported by CaughtOffside, the striker is unhappy at how negotiations over a new contract at St James’ Park collapsed, and at what he perceives to be a failure by the club to deliver on expectations over ‘serious investment in the squad and infrastructure to compete at the top’.

The Magpies will naturally want to guard against the possibility of being left short at centre-forward, especially if their ongoing pursuit of Yoane Wissa hits a dead end, and they might yet seek to extend an olive branch to Isak despite their dismay at his recent actions.

From Liverpool’s perspective, they must surely believe that now is the time to strike, given the Swedish striker’s growing desperation for a move to Anfield, and and improved offer in the coming days might just tip the scales in their favour before the 1 September deadline.

Between the player and the two clubs concerned, somebody has got to give somewhere in order to bring the standoff to a conclusion. Those of a Reds persuasion will hope that it involves Newcastle eventually agreeing to sanction an exit to Merseyside for the 25-year-old.