Newcastle United’s talismanic striker Alexander Isak has grabbed the most headlines in this summer transfer window.
The Swedish marksman has been sensational for the Magpies last season and given his attributes, he has been attracting massive interest from several clubs all across Europe.
However, until now, the 25-year-old has remained committed to featuring for Newcastle United heading into the 2025/26 campaign.
But in the last few days, the situation has taken a 360-degree turn as Isak has reportedly handed a transfer request to Newcastle United as he is wary of Liverpool’s interest.
He was also absent from Newcastle’s preseason in Singapore, and the club has informed that the 25-year-old didn’t travel with the team due to a minor injury.
Amid his departure talks, captain Bruno Guimaraes has shared his thoughts on the entire situation in an interaction with Sky Sports.
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“What we know about Isak is he’s injured and not been training with us for five days. He stayed [in Newcastle] to make himself better. He’s there with a small injury. Of course, he’s a top player, we know everything going around him,” Bruno Guimaraes told Sky Sports.
“We want to keep our best players. He’s a top striker, his last season speaks for itself. A top player, but as far as I know, he stayed because of his injury. We know the situation behind him, but it’s not for me to speak about him, it’s something that the club will take care.”
The entire transfer fiasco has deeply affected Eddie Howe’s squad planning head of the 2025/26 season.
Who are Newcastle United eyeing as potential Isak alternative?
The Magpies are back in the Champions League and would like to put up a good show against Europe’s elite clubs and for that they need a prolific striker.
Therefore, Newcastle have identified Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko as an alternative to Isak.
Wissa is someone with Premier League experience, but with Tottenham Hotspur also interested in the 28-year-old, Newcastle should be prepared for a competitive bidding war.
On the other hand, Sesko could be more of a long-term fix for the Magpies. At 22, he has shown the capabilities of becoming a star forward.
However, even the Slovenian forward won’t come cheap, considering he has a contract running until 2029 and Leipzig are in no hurry to sell the youngster.
Leipzig held a pretty asking price for Sesko when they were negotiating with Arsenal.
But recently they have lowered their demands, willing to accept anything in the region of €70-80m ($82-94m).
Wissa and Sesko have different skills and capabilities that make them a viable option for Newcastle United if they lose out on Isak.
Having said that, either of the striker will have an uphill challenge to replicate Isak’s numbers and impact for the Magpies.
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