Newcastle given two drastic options to end Alexander Isak and Liverpool transfer saga

Alexander Isak’s future is no closer to being resolved as the wantaway forward continues to train away from his Newcastle team-mates after Liverpool’s interest in signing him

Newcastle United have just two options to resolve their stand-off with wantaway striker Alexander Isak — sell up or force him to play in the reserves. Former manager Sam Allardyce believes the club have been left in a difficult position by the Swedish forward.

Isak is not currently training with the first team squad and has said he will not play for the Toon Army again, regardless of the outcome of the transfer window. But there has been little progress over any move after Newcastle initially expressed that their star forward was not for sale.

Liverpool saw a £110million bid immediately knocked back earlier this month and currently do not seem set to make another offer unless encouraged to do. Newcastle have not signed a forward to replace Isak yet however.

The Magpies are in the market for Yoane Wissa, who is not training with Brentford currently, but that appears to be a target eyed separately from Isak’s situation. Newcastle saw Callum WIlson depart at the end of his contract earlier in the summer.

And the north east-based side have few good options remaining in how to settle the conflict with Isak. The striker, who has 62 goals in 109 appearances for Newcastle, has three years remaining on his contract and Allardyce believes it would take strength from the club’s board to not sell their prized asset.

READ MORE: Roy Keane rips into Alexander Isak as his ‘shocking’ Newcastle behaviour is called outREAD MORE: Arne Slot makes Liverpool title claim as new deal sees transfer spend pass £300m

“Sell him. I’d sell him, I’d go for the best price,” he told talkSPORT. “Once a player makes his mind up as determined as he is, and because there’s nothing else you can do role-wise.

“I suppose if he stays away, the only thing you do is don’t pay him, but that obviously becomes a situation where nobody wins.”

Allardyce continued: “Unless the board are strong enough to say ‘let him rot, Sam, we’ll go and buy you another centre-forward’, which is the best way to deal with it in my opinion.

“Somebody has to stand up to a player, or players, that are gonna start doing this on a regular basis, where they’ve got contracts – in Isak’s case a particularly long contract of three years – then the owners are obviously looking not to devalue him.

“But at the end of the day if you want to stand up and be counted, put a shock across the players across the Premier League saying ‘you can’t treat your clubs like this after you’ve dedicated yourself to a contract’.”

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