Will Sweden Call-up Make Way for Alexander Isak's Newcastle Exit?

Alexander Isak, who has expressed his desire to leave the north-east club with three years remaining on his contract, has been named in the Swedish national team's 24-man squad by coach Jon Dahl Tomasson for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo set to take place next week. The 25-year-old striker last laced up for the Magpies in a Premier League defeat to Everton back in May.

The Swedish international has been training alone ever since missing Newcastle's pre-season tour to Singapore and South Korea. The Sweden squad also features Arsenal's new striker Viktor Gyokeres, someone who was chased by Newcastle to replace his fellow countryman in their attack. Isak also issued a statement on August 20, which read: “When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can't continue.” This message clearly shows the frustration Isak is feeling amidst all the transfer noise surrounding him.

Sweden coach Tomasson said of Isak’s call-up: “I am very happy that Alexander Isak wants to be in the squad, he is a huge player. The situation he is in is not perfect, and he has not trained with the team. But he is a player who can decide matches, and he wants to be part of our squad. The World Cup is important for Alexander Isak.”

Alexander Isak Remains Determined to Leave Newcastle United

It is understood that Isak has declined an invitation to return to Newcastle's first-team fold. He has spent all this summer away from the team to engineer a move to reigning Premier League champions Liverpool to get a chance to play at Anfield. Jamie Reuben, Newcastle minority owner and representatives of the majority owners, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, visited Isak and his representatives in Northumberland and attempted to reapproach the striker. He was offered a lucrative offer with enough pay rise for him to stay in Newcastle for one more year. Even though Yasir al-Rumayyan, Newcastle's chairman, is in the middle of a rare visit, Eddie Howe has made it clear he only wants players who are fully committed. Liverpool have had a 110 million-pound offer for Isak rejected, and know they will have to spend an exorbitant amount to land the player. But with Ekiteke performing so well in that position, scoring 3 goals in 3 matches since his arrival, a higher bid from Liverpool remains uncertain.

Newcastle Midfielder Bruno Guimaraes Wants Alexander Isak to Stay

During an interaction with ESPN after playing a starring role in a late 3–2 defeat to Liverpool in one of the early ‘game of the season’ contenders, Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes addressed his Newcastle teammate Isak's situation at the club. He said: “I haven't had any contact with him. We’ve been training in the mornings, and he trains at a different time, when no one from the team is around. As captain, and for us as players, it’s a tough situation because we want to have the best players with us. But that’s something we can't control - the club, the management, the owners are dealing with it, and I hope it gets sorted out in the best way."

The dynamic midfielder added:

“We’re really missing our striker, a player who scored more than 20 goals in the Premier League last season, so of course, he’s someone we feel the absence of. We hope to have our best player back, but unfortunately, this is a situation that neither I nor any other player can control.”