ALEXANDER ISAK’S future remains under scrutiny after he was left out of Newcastle’s squad to take on Celtic at Parkhead this afternoon.
The Magpies knocked back an approach from Liverpool this week for the Swedish striker.
Toon’s Saudi owners are backing boss Eddie Howe in his fight to keep the 25-year-old and refusing to sell.
That’s despite SunSport learning that the Swedish star is interested to see what was on offer at Anfield in a potential £120million move.
Isak is said to be disappointed by the Toon’s botched contract offer.
Now they face further speculation over his future after he sat out today’s first official pre-season friendly against the Scottish champions.
Brazilian star Joelinton, 28, was another notable absentee and Newcastle sources claim that the pair’s absence is due to their minutes being managed.
However, that won’t stop fears from the Toon Army that last season’s 27-goal top scorer could potentially be looking to leave St James’ Park.
And they now face an anxious wait to see whether he joins the rest of the squad on the plane to Singapore on Thursday as they head to Asia to continue their preparations for the upcoming campaign.
The Carabao Cup winners issued a firm hands-off warning to Liverpool and insisted Isak was not for sale at any price this week.
That resulted in Arne Slot’s side hijacking Newcastle’s swoop to bring in Hugo Ekitike from Frankfurt to partner him.
The Bundesliga club rejected a £70m bid from Newcastle on Tuesday but Liverpool are now in talks and believe a fee closer to £80m will help them land the French ace, who has already agreed a six-year contract deal.
And Newcastle are also looking elsewhere with a £30m swoop for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa being mooted.
But keeping Isak, who still remains the top target for the Kopites, is still their main priority.
We revealed back in March how Toon chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan was demanding that the Magpies keep hold of his “favourite player” after the hotshot fired them to Wembley glory.
We can reveal that he is doubling down on that stance and standing right behind boss Howe by refusing to cash in for what would be a British record fee.
Toon chiefs feel that Liverpool’s public pursuit was a ploy to unsettle their prized asset and we revealed how he would be keen on a switch to Merseyside.
But keeping Isak, a club-record £63m signing from Real Sociedad in 2022, and tying him down to a new-and-improved lengthy package was Howe’s top aim and there are still hopes that can be achieved.
Isak’s camp were left disappointed 12 months ago when a promise of a pay rise from his current £130,000-a-week made by the Magpies’ former co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi failed to happen.
That was down to one of the first decisions from the now ex-sporting director Paul Mitchell to put those negotiations on ice as he felt the ace was already handsomely paid and felt secure as he was tied to the club until 2028.
Despite Mitchell’s departure and talks still planned by Newcastle, there has still been no progress and it remains unclear whether Isak is willing to commit his long-term future to the club.
Though SunSport knows Newcastle are willing to smash their £150,000-a-week pay ceiling and make him the best-paid player in their history with a £200k-plus package.
Isak was in Austria with the rest of Newcastle’s squad at a pre-season training camp this week after not featuring in last weekend’s 4-0 behind-closed-doors friendly victory over Carlisle.
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