Alexander Isak is said to be adamant he will never play for Newcastle again amid continued transfer interest from Liverpool.
The Swedish striker missed the Magpies’ entire pre-season tour as the Reds consider a second bid for him, having already seen an opening approach worth £110million rejected earlier this summer.
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Newcastle maintain that they have no intention of allowing Isak to leave, but the 25-year-old - who has three years left on his contract - has been training alone since returning to the north-east, with Eddie Howe confirming last week that he is not ready to be reintegrated back into the first-team squad.
Now, the situation may have unraveled beyond repair.
Citing conversations with sources privy to the matter, The Athletic report that Isak is adamant he will never play for Newcastle again.
That stance is said to include a scenario where he remains on Tyneside past the transfer deadline, with the player understood to regard his career at St James’ Park as “finished” as he holds “no desire” to reintegrate into the squad.
As things stand, Isak looks set to miss Newcastle’s season-opening trip to Villa Park this Saturday lunchtime, with the Magpies still scouring the transfer market for potential replacements including Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson after missing out on several targets this summer including Manchester United newcomer Benjamin Sesko.
