Alexander Isak looked set to stay at Newcastle after Liverpool cooled their interest and opted for Hugo Ekitiké instead. But now there is a bombshell report suggesting that the Magpies star could still leave the club this summer.
The 25-year-old Swedish international is at the peak of his career and scored a whopping 23 Premier League goals last season – only beaten by Mohamed Salah on the top scorer list.
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Liverpool withdrew – but now comes the Saudi surprise
Isak’s impressive form caught the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs, not least Liverpool, who recently approached Newcastle for a potential transfer. But when Newcastle demanded a whopping £150 million for their star striker, Liverpool chose to focus on Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké instead.
Now, in a very surprising turn of events, Isak has reportedly said YES to initiating talks about a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal – which would arguably be the biggest shock transfer of the summer.
This comes according to journalist Santi Aouna, who wrote on social media
: “Understand that Alexander Isak has given the first green light to start discussions about a transfer to Al-Hilal. There are ongoing talks between the Saudi Arabian club and [Isak’s] agents.”
Isak “open” for Saudi transfer – but Newcastle want to keep him
In a report for French outlet Foot Mercato, Aouna provides more context and claims that Al-Hilal are willing to do “wrong things” to secure Isak this summer.
Aouna claims that Isak is “open to leaving Newcastle” and even “open to a move to Saudi Arabia, to the club led by Simone Inzaghi [Al-Hilal]”.
The report adds:
“After approaching several strikers this summer, including Victor Osimhen and Darwin Núñez, it seems that Al-Hilal have finally found the right candidate. But it remains to be seen whether Newcastle will resist the Saudi Arabian approaches.”
At the same time, Aouna stresses that Newcastle are determined to keep Isak, which means that Al-Hilal will have to make a monumental offer to stand a chance.
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Ownership dilemma: PIF owns both Al-Hilal and Newcastle
If Al-Hilal were to make a bid of £150 million, it would really test Newcastle’s resolve. But there is an extra twist in this case:
Al-Hilal is owned (75%) by Saudi Arabia’s state-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF) – which also owns 85% of Newcastle United.
This means that, if Aouna’s information is correct, Newcastle’s owners could effectively be about to make a bid from one of their other clubs for perhaps the Magpies’ best and most important player.
It will be interesting to follow how this case develops, and whether more media confirm the possibility of an Isak transfer to Saudi Arabia.
