Liverpool can trigger Alexander Isak release clause if Newcastle reach unusual agreement

Liverpool could bypass Newcastle completely in transfer talks for Alexander Isak, but they may be forced to wait to get a deal over the line. The Reds saw a first formal bid rejected by the Magpies, who are seeking as much as £150million for their talisman, who asked to leave to secure a bumper contract at Anfield.

The reigning Premier League champions have already spent nearly £300m on Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong this summer, but are willing to break the bank to land Isak. That is despite French forward Ekitike arriving last month in a deal worth £79m.

The Athletic claim that Newcastle rejected a firm offer for the Swedish forward, who has been training in Spain while his team-mates continue pre-season in Asia.

They do not want to let the 25-year-old leave, with three years left on his current contract, and have approached him about the prospect of signing a new deal which would include a release clause for 2026.

Such a contract would allow Newcastle to profit from another year of Isak, before letting him leave for an agreed-upon price next year. Liverpool would not have to engage in extended talks with their league rivals; instead, they would trigger the clause and conclude a deal with relative ease, having already agreed terms with the player.

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Senior Newcastle players have approached Isak with the view to getting him to sign an unusual agreement, but he has reiterated his desire to leave.

The Daily Mail claim that the current offer on the table is £110m, below the £150m benchmark Newcastle have previously set as their asking price for Isak.

Eddie Howe's outfit are even more reluctant to sell, having failed to find a replacement so far this summer. Benjamin Sesko had been their primary target, but he favours a move to Manchester United instead.

Premier League strikers Ollie Watkins, Rodrigo Muniz, Yoane Wissa and Jorgen Strand Larsen are on their shortlist, but no agreement is close with their respective teams.

Howe has praised the rest of his squad while away on pre-season for handling the difficult situation of their star man trying to force through a transfer.

"Nothing has changed," he claimed after a friendly defeat to a K-League XI. "It is very much the mindset of business as usual for the players.

"You don't get a chance to think of anything other than training or the next game when you come on these tours. The level is so high that we still have to be at our best.

"Naturally, we are going to miss a player of his quality and the group are going to feel that. I cannot sit here and claim that they won't, but they are a very professional group of players. They are doing brilliantly, as far as I can see, in terms of managing the current situation."