Alexander Isak remains the talk of the summer transfer window as the Swede continues to push for a move to Liverpool.
The Players’ Player of the Year nominee is expected to skip the PFA Awards tonight as his transfer dispute continues with Newcastle United.
This is simply the latest example of defiance from a player who spent pre-season training with his former club Real Sociedad this summer and has reportedly declared to never play for Newcastle again, even if he is still under contract on Tyneside when the window closes. There are three years left on that deal but Isak has plenty of leverage.
In a column for ESPN, Gabriele Marcotti highlighted how Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations on the Transfer and Status of Players could give Isak the stronger position as the summer window gets closer to shutting on Sep. 1.
The Article was first introduced in December 2004 aiming to protect players from a transfer system believed by the European Commission to be restricting of freedoms to change jobs.
“In case a player now terminates the contract without a so-called ‘just cause,’ the compensation to be paid to the club should presumably be limited to the residual value of the contract, with a possible further reduction or increase on the basis of the national law,” FIFPro writes.
This option became a lot easier to trigger after a ruling last October after several hurdles were removed.
If a move is not agreed to before Sep. 1, Isak faces a season of either suiting up for Newcastle or sitting on the sidelines until the January window. This is a rock and a hard place for the striker given it’s a World Cup year. However, Isak could invoke Article 17 up to 15 days prior to the final match of the season—early June 2026—and essentially leave the club on a free when next year’s summer window opens. The threat of this move could potentially force Newcastle’s hand this summer.
Were Isak to leave next summer via Article 17, the Magpies would be entitled to seek compensation, but Marcotti cited a lawyer who expected the club would receive somewhere in the £50-60 million ($67.5-81 million) range. There are further appeals Newcastle could make, but two caveats—that number would likely fall considerably below what they already turned down from Liverpool in an opening bid of £110 million, and the appeal process could heavily delay the time in which they receive any compensation.
Whether Isak’s party are using Article 17 to their advantage or not in transfer discussions remains to be seen, but his move to skip the PFA Awards amid other actions further cements the player’s preference to move clubs this summer. Liverpool could return with a new bid, but Newcastle have already missed out on top striker targets like Benjamin Šeško and Hugo Ekitiké.
It has been a nightmarish transfer window for the Magpies heading into a Champions League campaign off the back of a top five finish. Not to mention, ending their trophy drought at Wembley Stadium defeating the very team that seeks Isak this summer for the Carabao Cup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Alexander Isak Has Leverage in Newcastle, Liverpool Transfer Negotiations.
