Liverpool have decided not to make a second offer to Alexander Isak, after Newcastle rejected the £110 million offer.
The Merseyside side believes a strong and clear reaction from Newcastle shows that the price increase - already a club's record fee - will not bring results.
Liverpool have increased interest in Newcastle's number 1 striker as they want to push their 2025 summer spending to 400 million pounds.
However, the "Magpies" - the Carabao Cup champions - have long affirmed that Isak is not for sale, and immediately rejected the offer from Liverpool.
Isak, for his part, expressed his desire to be considered for a transfer. This forced coach Eddie Howe to leave him out of the friendly match against Celtic to minimize the impact of speculation.
The English tactician also admitted that the Swedish striker's future is no longer under his control.
Isak missed Newcastle's pre-season tour in Asia due to a minor thigh injury - a problem the club described as not serious. This week, he trained with his former club Real Sociedad to improve his fitness and regain his best condition.
Liverpool have clearly shown ambition in their transfer plans, with head coach Arne Slot affirming that the team will target high-quality players.
They signed striker Hugo Ekitike for £69 million in the summer transfer window of 2025. Notably, this is a name that was once on the radar of Newcastle.
In addition, Liverpool also broke the club's transfer record to own Florian Wirtz for £100 million. At the same time, they strengthened their defense with two full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
However, the Anfield team has also parted ways with Luis Diaz. The Colombian winger joined Bayern Munich this week for a fee of £65.5 million. In addition, the futures of a number of other strikers are also being questioned, including Federico Chiesa and Darwin Nunez.
Newcastle have yet to find a worthy replacement for Isak. With the departure of Callum Wilson, the team now have fewer attacking options than last season.
Eddie Howe was disappointed at not being able to successfully recruit a series of strikers, including Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Bryan Mbeumo.
Although Newcastle are interested in Brentford's Yoane Wissa, this deal has not yet reached a common resolution. So far, their most notable signing in the 2025 summer transfer window has been winger Anthony Elanga.
Last season, Isak scored 27 goals in all competitions for Newcastle, including the decisive goal against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final. Although there are still 3 years left on the current contract, the possibility of him and Newcastle renewing at this time is very low.
