Eddie Howe has insisted that the door remains open for Alexander Isak to return to the Newcastle United squad, despite the forward being left out of the opening Premier League match against Aston Villa. Isak, 25, has been training alone in the North East and missed Saturday's 0-0 draw at Villa Park as he seeks a move to Liverpool.
The Reds had a £110m bid for the Sweden international rejected earlier this month. Isak has three years remaining on the contract he signed when he joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad for £63m in August 2022.
Speaking after the match, Howe said: “The door is well and truly open. He has to decide what he wants to do. We would like a resolution. The ownership, the players, we need that clarity. I’m not in control of that, it’s one person really that can control that.”
Newcastle's next fixture is a home game against Liverpool on August 25th. Howe acknowledged the intensity of the fixture, stating: “I think it's always spicy against Liverpool, there's a history with the fixture anyway. It's been an unbelievable fixture over the years in the Premier League. So we look forward to it, we respect them, and we know how good they are. Hopefully, off the back of today, we are ready.”
