Newcastle United might have signed Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade for a record-breaking amount of dough, but the club continues to juggle its striker search with Alexander Isak’s ongoing stand-off and impending sale, according to Craig Hope of the Daily Mail.
The 23-year-old German, who scored 17 goals last season, was pursued by Bayern Munich earlier this summer, but after the Bundesliga giants were rejected three times by Stuttgart, it was Newcastle who snatched the up-and-coming star forward.
That breakthrough comes after Wolves rejected three offers — £50m, £55m, and £60m — for Jorgen Strand Larsen, who the lads from Wolverhampton will now have to eat in full as Newcastle landed a much better version of the same type of player. Cold world, Wolves!
Attention now moves on to what happens with Brentford’s assessment and valuation of Yoane Wissa, who they have tagged with an unreasonable price that the Magpies seem unlikely to match. According to Hope, Wissa’s representatives have travelled to London and the player is ready to move north if the Bees sanction his departure, although that’s far from a fait accompli.
Brentford owner Matthew Benham has been involved in talks, with the club understood to be seeking a replacement before approving a sale. Tottenham was also interested in Wissa, but after signing RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, they should leave the race for the Brentford striker. Anyway, Wissa has always said he’d favour Newcastle over any other destination, particularly the opportunity to play Champions League football under Eddie Howe and donning the No. 9 shirt in Tyneside.
For now, Newcastle remain in limbo, with Isak still refusing to play and Liverpool still to submit an improved offer after falling way short with their initial £110m bid for the Sweden international, which Newcastle lost no time in rejecting.
Newcastle have consistently insisted that conditions must be met before sanctioning a sale, namely, the arrival of two strikers. With one deal closed and another still possible, the club faces a critical decision in the coming days involving the disgruntled Isak.
