Alexander Isak continues to train separately at Newcastle United's Benton centre, amid Liverpool receiving the message that the Swedish striker will not leave St James' Park unless there is a strong enough offer.
Coach Eddie Howe admitted that the possibility of Isak participating in the opening match of the Premier League this weekend is very low, in the context of the transfer rumors that have not cooled down.
Although everything in football can change quickly, Eddie Howe admits that Talking to Isak is not simple. He believes that if he can convince the striker to be satisfied with his life at St James' Park, all the noise about his future will soon end.
Isak's future at Newcastle is becoming more unpredictable than ever. The Swedish striker's image being removed from the club shop has further raised doubts. Especially when Adidas staff revealed to Chronicle Live that during the Korean tour, Isak's jersey and shirt number were almost unchanged from before.
Newcastle are in a "waiting and waiting" position in the Isak deal. They have begun to look for an alternative, with Benfica's Vangelis Pavlidis just one of many potential candidates.
On the other hand, Liverpool made an offer worth around £110 million in early August, but were strongly rejected. Now, if Isak really wants to leave and Newcastle wants to quickly find a replacement, the £130 million bonus figure is expected to be enough to open the deal, down from the previously rumored £150 million.
Despite the speculation, Isak and potential future club Liverpool have made a final decision: no serious offer means no transfer.
Until the new move, the door is still open for Isak to return to practice, prepare for the away trip to Villa Park and even play for Newcastle. However, the Swedish striker did not seem to be very interested in this prospect throughout the pre-season.
Newcastle are preparing to enter the opening match of the Premier League without a striker who scored 27 goals last season and contributed greatly to helping the team qualify for the Champions League.
Isak was once the face of the third away kit launched in early summer, even appearing in Adidas advertising campaigns with the Tino Asprilla club icon in the center of Tyneside Irish. However, all of this happened before the transfer rumors.
While Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton are still popular with fans, Newcastle expect a new striker to help make up for the lost revenue due to Isak's absence.
However, on the training ground, Eddie Howe still has to try his best without the service of a key player. Although Isak's absence was a big blow in the preparation process, the England coach still admitted that maintaining team spirit was no less important.
Eddie Howe shared: "I think the group was disrupted, that's for sure. But whenever a player falls into such a situation, the whole team feels insecure."
This puts Newcastle in a difficult position ahead of the match against Aston Villa. Anthony Gordon showed determination in the friendly match against Atletico Madrid but could not score, while Joelinton missed many clear opportunities.
Eddie Howe has also been asked if he would consider letting Joelinton return to the striker position in the new season, after turning him into a midfielder last season. However, the English captain mocked the proposal.
When asked if Isak would still want to travel to Villa Park with the whole team, Eddie Howe replied: "I don't see that changing before the match against Aston Villa, with our current situation."
