Eddie Howe hopes Alexander Isak will return to training with Newcastle
Isak, who has been the subject of interest from Liverpool, has missed the Magpies' pre-season tour of Asia amid speculation over his future.
Newcastle are now returning home after their trip concluded with a 1-1 draw against Tottenham in Seoul on Sunday and Howe hopes the Sweden international will report back as normal.
Howe told The Chronicle after the game: 'Of course I'd like him to but whether or not he will, I don't know at this moment in time.
'Other people have been dealing with that situation back at home.'
Sweden international Isak did not travel with the squad due to a thigh injury but the player reportedly wants to explore the possibility of a move.
Newcastle rejected an offer of £110million from Liverpool for the 25-year-old, who has three years remaining on his contract and is valued by the club at £150million.
Isak has trained with former club Real Sociedad while Newcastle have been away but is now thought to be returning to the UK.
Newcastle, meanwhile, are understood to have had a bid worth up to £69.7million for RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko rejected by the German club.
Slovenia international Sesko has also been linked with Manchester United.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Liverpool 'in talks with Bundesliga club over Harvey Elliott transfer' - with Reds midfielder lined-up to replace Premier League bound star
RB Leipzig have reportedly opened initial talks with Liverpool over signing midfielder Harvey Elliott. According to the Athletic, the Bundesliga side have made contact with the Premier League champions to discuss a possible deal. The German club have reportedly targeted Elliott as a possible replacement for Dutch international Xavi Simons. Simons was left out of RB Leipzig's squad for their pre-season friendly on the weekend amid intense speculation over his future. The attacking midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea this summer. Elliott, however, was in action on Monday as Liverpool held back-to-back friendlies against Athletic Club at Anfield. Elliott scored in Liverpool's 4-1 victory over the LaLiga side in their opening match of the double header. The midfielder admitted earlier this summer that he may have to consider his future at the club. It followed Elliott starting just two matches in the Premier League, both coming after the Reds had clinched the title. The arrival of Florian Wirtz looks to have hindered his chances of first-team minutes further. Elliott appeared to indicate his intention for the summer when he admitted he cannot continue 'wasting years' of his career. 'It's just a situation that me and the team on my behalf have to have a conversation about, because I'm coming to an age now where I'm 22, I'm going to be 23 next season, and I don't really want to be wasting years of my career, because it's a short career,' Elliott said. 'I just want to improve and be the best possible version of myself and the best player I can be. 'If that's to go somewhere else, then it's a decision I'm going to have to make and I just need to see what happens.' Elliott is popular among Reds supporters after 147 games for the club. Elliott had underlined his quality by being named Under 21 European Championship's Player of the Tournament, after scoring five times in six matches en route England defending their title.
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
RB Leipzig and Liverpool begin transfer talks over 'fearless' £50m English star
RB Leipzig have entered transfer talks with Liverpool over a deal to sign their 'fearless' £50m English star Harvey Elliott, according to reports. The German club are interested in recruiting Elliott as a replacement for Xavi Simons, who is expected to join Chelsea in the summer window. Liverpool want £50m to sell the 22-year-old, although they'd be open to offers of £40m if a buy-back clause was inserted into the deal. The Athletic report that RB Leipzig have made contact with Liverpool and discussions – which are currently ongoing – are at an early stage. Elliott only started two Premier League matches for Liverpool in the 2024-25 campaign in what was Arne Slot's debut season as head coach. In The Mixer: Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – click here and sign up before Friday to make sure you don't miss the first edition. But former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was a huge fan of Elliott, previously labelling him as 'fearless' and a 'great footballer'. Elliott, who can play as an attacking midfielder, central midfielder or right winger, has registered 15 goals and 20 assists in 147 games for the Reds. He moved to Anfield from Fulham six years ago, with Liverpool paying the west London club an initial £1.5m plus £2.8m in contingent amounts. Elliott has also attracted interest from Premier League club West Ham ahead of the new season. Speaking in July, Elliott admitted that he was open to leaving Liverpool over a lack of playing time. 'Look, if I had it my way, I'd be here for the rest of my career, it's as simple as that, I love everything about the club,' Elliott told The Anfield Wrap. 'But at the same time I kind of need to be selfish with myself and see what's best for me. 'I have big ambitions. I want to go to the World Cup. I want to keep being successful as a player. More Trending 'I think it's still something I need to review. I need to have a talk with everyone, really and review the situation because we've had many new players come in, so whether it blocks the path for me I'm not sure, it's something I need to decide and have a look at. 'My main focus is here now. At the moment I'm here for the season, as far as I'm aware, unless if anything changes, we have a busy pre-season, it's non-stop, I need to make sure I'm focus on that and just be ready for everything.' Elliott was one of England's standout performers at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship over the summer. He was crowned UEFA's official Player of the Tournament after scoring five goals in the competition from midfield. MORE: Chelsea star 'set to join' Borussia Dortmund in £22m permanent transfer move MORE: Man Utd make Harry Maguire transfer decision after five offers for defender MORE: Rio Ferdinand tips Man Utd transfer flop to be 'like a new signing' this season
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Scotland veteran Hanley can be another Gayle for Hibs
Former Newcastle, Birmingham and Norwich defender signing 'shows you where we are' - Gray Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland defender Grant Hanley can become a major dressing room leader for Hibs, according to David Gray – who sees the veteran following the example set by experienced campaigners Dwight Gayle and Junior Hoilett last season. And the Hibs boss provided a fitness update on the 33-year-old free agent, following today's confirmation that he'd signed a two-year deal with the Easter Road outfit. Gayle was a significant influence on the dressing room in his single season as a Hibs player, with the vastly experienced striker leading by example AND passing on words of wisdom to team-mates as Gray transformed his team from relegation fodder to the third best side in Scotland. Premier League veteran Hoilett, back for a second season after exploring other options in the summer, has also been credited with bringing a calming influence to the crisis that engulfed Hibs early in Gray's first season of management. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The former club captain, asked if Hanley would be expected to play a similar role, said: "I think I spoke a lot about Gayley and Junior last season and what they gave us. Not just on the pitch, but off the pitch every single day. 'They don't play at the level they have done and achieve what they've achieved in the game - and still be hungry to do it - without being top professionals and role models every single day. We've got a lot of younger players as well in the building, seeing how these people work and operate 'It's all well and good when the coach is telling you to do this, you should eat this, you should do these things, but these players do it all the time. So having that around the building is brilliant - and it's also the right type who actually want to educate the younger ones as well. So it's all well and good being that type of player and having had that career, but there are guys who want to give back and want to help the younger ones. "And then also, you can rely on them on the pitch as well. So the quality is undoubtedly there, which is a real positive as well. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'You mentioned Grant, he's another really good character, captain, leader everywhere he's been, and a national team player. So it just shows you where we are, that we're able to attract that level of calibre of player." Fitness bulletin on central defender Hanley hasn't played since starting Scotland's ugly 3-1 home loss to Iceland at Hampden back in June. The defender, who helped Birmingham City to win promotion to the EFL Championship during a loan spell with the Blues over the second half of last season, will obviously need some work to get match fit. But Gray revealed that the experienced stopper, who has 62 caps to his name, had been working during the close season, explaining: 'He has been doing a lot. He's been working with Norwich, I believe, under-23s. 'So he's been doing a lot of work with them, which is positive. That keeps him ticking over. Again, it's testament to the type of person he is, that he wants to keep himself going, because he'll know his body better than anybody else. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "So we'll not be throwing him into a situation where he's not ready to do it or taking any chances or risks within that. We'll be doing the best we can to get him in as safely, as quickly as you can.' Hanley will obviously provide reinforcements in a back three who have just lost a regular contributor in Lewis Miller, whose big-money move to Blackburn – in a deal worth £1.5 million including add-ons – also leaves Hibs short of a right back. Gray is confident that he's got cover in both positions. 'Millsy was someone who could play right-back, right-wing-back, right of a back three, just because of his athleticism and what he gives you defensively, but also his energy going forward,' said the gaffer. 'So his attributes are obviously difficult to find, but when you look at our squad at the minute, we still have that sort of dual-position players. "We've got Warren O'Hora who is comfortable on the right of a three, central in a three, left of a three. We've got Kanayo Megwa, a younger player, who's able to play the same, Chris Cadden, Josh Mulligan, all players that can play more than one position. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And it's about making sure you've got that strength in depth. I always talk about not having just one plan. So having dual-position players that you can flip in formations is important.' Belgrade training switch as Hibs keep tactics under wraps Gray revealed, meanwhile, revealed his thinking behind NOT putting his Hibs players through a traditional eve-of-contest training session at Partizan Stadium tomorrow night. The Edinburgh side are flying out to Belgrade after training at HTC tomorrow, and plan only to have a walk around the venue for Thursday night's Europa Conference League clash. Admitting his thinking had been partly influenced by the delay that caused him to cut training short at the MCH Arena the night before facing Midtjylland in the Europa League a couple of weeks ago, Gray said: "Yeah, I think to do with probably a little bit of everything, the preparation for the quick turnaround in games. So we've obviously just had Dundee at the weekend. 'The Midtjylland one was slightly different because we knew that was the first competitive game and we had a long time to prepare for that game. So going over there and training the day before the game in their stadium was more to give the players the surroundings and training over there. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'You're not going to do any tactical things at someone else's stadium - so you can control that a little bit more here at HTC. But we need to do it with a quick turnaround. "So tactically we can get it all done before we go and then all we're relying on then is making sure we arrive plenty of time to get them to bed and to get recovered in time to obviously be ready for the next day. All being well, if we arrive in time, which we fully expect, all being well, we will go to the stadium, have a walk around. 'We see it more as an active walk around and just getting used to the surroundings and more of a recovery from sitting on a plane for a wee while more than anything else. But the actual football insight, the tactical stuff, will all be done.'
