Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is confident that striker Alexander Isak will be at the Premier League club at the start of the 2025-26 season. Isak did not take part in the 4-0 defeat to Celtic in the pre-season due to transfer speculation, BTA reported.
British media reported earlier this week that Premier League champions Liverpool are interested in signing the 25-year-old Sweden international, who has three years left on his Newcastle contract.
Isak scored 23 Premier League goals last season, second only to Liverpool star and Golden Boot winner Mohamed Salah (29). Isaac, who has been capped 52 times for his country, joined Newcastle from Spanish side Real Sociedad in 2022 and has since scored 62 times in 109 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions.
"It was my decision. He travelled to Glasgow with us but I decided to send him home because of the speculation surrounding him," Howe told reporters after the match on Saturday.
"The last thing he wanted was to sit in the stands and watch, it wasn't fair to him. But I'm confident he'll be a Newcastle player at the end of the season. It's hard for me to give 100% clarity on any player. Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves his team-mates, the staff, the team. "I'm confident he'll be here at the start of the season.
Yes, I've had talks with him, but that's not unusual. I respect a player's career and how short it is. Alex is really good, he's training really well and I realise there's going to be a buzz around him," said Eddie Howe.
Newcastle, who qualified for the Champions League after finishing fifth in the Premier League last season, next play Arsenal in a friendly in Singapore next Sunday.