Isak saga ‘lose-lose’ but I’d welcome him back into squad – Howe

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe says he has not seen or spoken to striker Alexander Isak for a week and has described the saga as a “lose-lose situation”.

The Sweden forward wants to join Liverpool but a £110m bid was rejected by Newcastle earlier this month.

That led to the 25-year-old releasing a statement this week saying Newcastle had broken promises made to him.

Isak believed he would be allowed to leave if a big club came in for him and offered an appropriate fee – but Newcastle denied that was the case in a statement in response.

The player is now training apart from the first team and missed Newcastle’s opening game of the new Premier League season. He will not feature when Newcastle face Liverpool on Monday.

“I haven’t seen him this week but when I see him we speak as normal, there are no issues there,” said Howe.

“It’s a difficult situation from both sides and it’s far from ideal for both parties.

“When we bump in to each we speak but as I say I’ve not seen him this week as he’s training later on and detached from the group. We will catch up at some stage and hopefully speak soon.”

Howe said he would welcome the player back into the fold should he remain at Newcastle after the window closes.

“Yes, of course. He’s contracted to us, he’s our player. My wish is that he would be playing on Monday night with us. But he won’t be and that’s regrettable,” he said.

While Newcastle fans sang critical chants about Isak at Aston Villa last week, Howe believes that despite the saga his team-mates would support his reintegration.

“I have no doubt about how the players will feel. They will feel same way I do. Alex is a fantastic player, he’s a good person, a good character and a good lad,” Howe added.