Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade transfer move leaves rivals ‘surprised and disappointed’

Newcastle are on the verge of signing striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart for £65million, with the 23-year-old having also been targeted by Bayern Munich this summer

Bayern Munich have reportedly been left surprised and disappointed after missing out the signing of Nick Woltemade, who is set to join Newcastle instead. The Magpies have agreed a £65million deal with Stuttgart for Woltemade, who netted 17 goals across all competitions last season.

Woltemade also starred for Germany at the Under-21 European Championship this summer, scoring six goals and providing three assists as they made it all the way to the final before losing to England in extra-time.

According to reports from Germany, Bayern were confident that Woltemade would be joining them this summer and Newcastle’s move caught them by surprise. The report also notes that Woltemade is viewed as Alexander Isak’s successor.

The move could pave the way for Isak to finally complete a transfer to Liverpool, with Newcastle rejecting a £110m bid for the striker earlier this summer. Isak has been pushing for a move to Anfield and reiterated his desire to leave in showdown talks with club chiefs on Monday.

The 25-year-old broke his silence on the saga earlier this month, releasing a statement on social media where he accused Newcastle of breaking promises. “I’ve kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken,” Isak said.

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Newcastle’s striker deal as Isak to Liverpool nears, Man Utd agree £40m deal but ‘outbid’ for keeperREAD MORE: Alexander Isak didn’t know where to look when Alan Shearer awkwardly put him on the spot

“That silence has allowed people to push their own version of events, even though they know it doesn’t reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors. The reality is that promises were made and the club has known my position for a long time.

“To now act as if these issues are only emerging is misleading. When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can’t continue. That’s where things are for me right now and why change is in the best interests of everyone, not just myself.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe also offered an update on the situation after their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Liverpool, admitting they just “want to move forward”. Howe said: “I have no idea where that (Isak) stands at this second.

“The ideal from Newcastle’s side is we want clarity, we want to move forward. We want the narrative to change. We are in the start of the season now and we have to get results and try to focus on what we can control. We’ve given two really good performances and taken just one point. That’s tough for us to take.

“The quality of Alex would have made a difference in the two games, there’s no denying that. But that said the team functioned well and the performance doesn’t happen without every part of the team functioning well.”

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