Isak, Newcastle And Liverpool: What's Going On?

Nineteen days.

That's really agelong it has been since Liverpool's £110m bid for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak was rejected.

Since then, location person been nary further offers.

But it hasn't stopped nan early of nan 25-year-old Sweden striker being nan biggest talking constituent of nan summertime window.

Will Liverpool bid again? Will he rejoin first-team training successful nan meantime? What happens if a woody is not completed by nan 1 September deadline day?

BBC Sport has spoken to a number of sources successful an effort to get nan latest connected these questions and what mightiness hap next.

To explicate this we request to look astatine Newcastle's transfers truthful far.

After a frustrating summertime window, their business has started to prime up.

They signed midfielder Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa for £40m connected Sunday, aft securing AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw for a reported £34.6m earlier successful nan week.

This added to July's £55m signing of Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga and nan indebtedness signing of England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale early successful August.

But location is 1 glaring omission.

None of these are strikers - and they really needed 1 earlier Isak's early was thrown into mobility aft nan departure of Callum Wilson.

Sources person told BBC Sport 1 logic location hasn't yet been a follow-up bid is that immoderate move would beryllium reliant connected Newcastle getting 2 strikers done door.

Newcastle person maintained publically that Isak isn't for sale, but Liverpool cognize they are looking for 2 strikers for a reason.

When - aliases possibly if - Newcastle do, Liverpool are expected to ramp up their liking pinch different bid.

Sources opportunity nan adjacent connection will beryllium a minimum £120m. At nan moment, though, it's a waiting game.

So that focuses nan mind connected to Newcastle's striker hunt.

Eddie Howe made nary bones astir it astatine nan weekend.

"It's not for illustration we are looking astatine immoderate different area," nan Newcastle caput coach said pursuing his side's goalless tie against Aston Villa connected Saturday.

But securing a replacement for Wilson has proved challenging capable - fto unsocial a 2nd further striker.

Newcastle stay willing successful Yoane Wissa but person not yet met Brentford's asking value of successful excess of £40m.

The DR Congo forward, who was near retired of nan squad for Sunday's 3-1 nonaccomplishment astatine Nottingham Forest, wants to subordinate Newcastle.

Although Jorgen Strand Larsen is among a mini number of centre-forwards connected Newcastle's radar, Wolves do not want to suffer him.

Larsen, only completed a imperishable move to Molineux past period aft a successful indebtedness spell successful which he scored 14 goals successful nan Premier League.

The nine person already fto Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri spell this summer.

Larsen and Wissa exemplify nan trouble Newcastle face, astatine this shape of nan window, to person a broadside to portion pinch different cardinal player.

It fell to Anthony Gordon to lead nan statement connected nan opening time and, arsenic it stands, it would beryllium a astonishment if nan winger did not commencement up apical against Liverpool connected Monday night.

After missing retired connected a number of targets this summer, it felt for illustration location had been a displacement successful momentum successful nan past week aft completed moves for Thiaw and Ramsey.

But don't hide Newcastle person seen apical targets for illustration Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko and Joao Pedro move elsewhere this summer.

These strikers ended up astatine Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea respectively and arsenic good arsenic facing aggravated title from specified clubs, location are different factors astatine play.

Take replacing Wilson, for instance.

Firstly, centre-forwards want minutes truthful location were not needfully a queue of value frontmen lining up to play a supporting domiciled earlier Isak stopped training pinch nan group.

Secondly, goalscorers are expensive.

Newcastle whitethorn beryllium successful a overmuch stronger financial position this summertime aft important historical losses dropped retired of nan club's caller three-year Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) cycle.

But they still person to beryllium smart to motion what those down nan scenes telephone nan "right" player.

There is not a agelong database of targets and Newcastle person recovered that erstwhile 1 coveted striker has perchance go disposable this summer, his value has past gone up.

However pressing nan need, successful nan last throes of nan window, Newcastle are wary of overpaying fixed nan knock-on effect specified a splurge could person connected nan club's expertise to fortify successful consequent windows.

That remains a large 'if', of course.

Howe has been accordant successful his messaging passim this saga: nan doorway remains unfastened to Isak.

But nan Newcastle caput coach stressed what happens adjacent is down to nan striker, who continues to train distant from nan group.

It surely felt a agelong measurement backmost for Isak connected Saturday aft nan distant extremity called nan Swede "greedy" pursuing nan goalless tie against Aston Villa.

Yet clip is against Isak if he is to get a move to Liverpool, peculiarly erstwhile location are fewer realistic options near connected nan marketplace who would beryllium tin of stepping up for Newcastle.

Omar Chaudhuri, nan main intelligence serviceman of Twenty First Group, who antecedently worked pinch clubs for illustration Newcastle and Tottenham, has noticed a "greater liking successful top-class strikers" compared to years gone by.

"Globally, location person been 7 centre forwards moving for 50m euros aliases much this window, compared to 2 successful 2024, six successful 2023, and 5 successful 2022," he said.

"But clubs should astir apt temper expectations arsenic to their impact. Of nan 19 strikers signed by Premier League clubs for 50m euros aliases much earlier this season, perhaps, only Haaland and Isak tin beryllium considered unqualified successes."

No wonderment Howe has maintained that nan doorway is open.

Trying to, somehow, reintegrate Isak whitethorn yet beryllium 1 of Newcastle's amended options - and that is saying something.