Alexander Isak has not travelled to Singapore for pre-season with his Newcastle teammates amid reports that Liverpool remain interested in signing him.
The Swede has been at the centre of constant transfer rumours this summer after he found the back of the net 27 times last season.
He was left out of Eddie Howe’s squad for last week’s friendly loss to Celtic, with the manager later confirming that the decision was due to speculation surrounding Isak’s future.
Despite Newcastle’s insistence that the striker is not for sale, Liverpool remain interested. They confirmed a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike yesterday, but are still thought to be weighing up a move. They were said to be willing to offer £120million earlier this month, with Saudi sides also circling.
Newcastle said in a statement that Isak was left behind to recover from a minor thigh injury, though reports released earlier this week stated that preliminary scans had come back clear.
Isak, who moved to Tyneside from Real Sociedad in 2022, has been left unsettled by the speculation surrounding his future.
Speaking after the Celtic friendly, Howe told reporters that he was ‘desperate’ to keep Isak at St James’ Park next season.
“I think it's difficult for me to ever give 100 per cent clarity on any player, I'd never do that,” he said of Isak’s future. “All I can say is Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players, the staff, the team.
“I've never had any issue with him and I'm confident he's going to be here at the start of the season.
"We have a few of those players who are irreplaceable. Your top players are so hard to find, so hard to recruit, and so hard to develop. So when you have them, you need to treasure them. Of course we're desperate to keep him as part of our team."
