With Alexander Isak expressing his desire to leave, those behind the scenes at Newcastle United will be pondering which striker they can sign as a replacement.
Isak’s reported refusal of a contract offer and his expression of desire to leave have caused panic among the Newcastle fans as they face one of their worst summer windows in recent memory.
With only Anthony Elanga through the door and several other targets missed, here are some options they could go for to try and fill the very large shoes left by Isak.
Benjamin Sesko
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with Sesko over this sweltering summer, but Newcastle are thought to be in pole position for the RB Leipzig and Slovenia striker.
While consistency is an issue, Sesko is still only 22 and is a player of immense potential. He also has an aptitude for long-range howitzers that would endear him to the Geordie faithful.
A fee of £61million has been touted, well within Newcastle’s range if Isak were to depart.
Yoane warned
Apart from Hugo Ekitike, Wissa has been the main striker linked to Newcastle this summer.
The Brentford forward has just a year left on his deal with the London club, but it remains to be seen whether the Bees would be willing to lose Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo in the same summer.
Wissa has reportedly left Brentford’s Portuguese training camp to push through a move, but Newcastle have already had a £25 million bid rejected.
Should they land him, there are also questions over whether Wissa can reproduce his 2024-25 form. He scored 19 goals in 35 league matches but is three years older than Isak at 28.
Nicolas Jackson
It is no secret that with the arrival of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, Chelsea are looking to move Jackson on.
But the London club have set a price tag of between £80 million to £100 million, a figure no one wants to get near to as of yet.
The Senegal striker is on the radar of Manchester United, but Newcastle may look to swoop in should Isak depart.
Their well-known troubles with PSR would be alleviated by the lucrative sale but they would still look to negotiate that figure down.
Darwin Nunez
It has been a while since we have had a high-profile player swap.
But if Newcastle find themselves running out of options, they may well try to see if they can get the best out of Nunez.
Liverpool possibly spending big money on Etikite and Isak suggests some outgoings will be necessary and there could be an ‘I’ll rub your back, you rub mine’ if both parties agree on negotiations.
Nunez is not the finished product, to put it lightly, but there is a player in there and Eddie Howe may believe he can get the best out of the erratic Uruguayan.
Openda laws
Newcastle have reportedly identified RB Leipzig forward Openda as a potential recruit after scouring the market for Isak replacements.
The 25-year-old Belgium international has been described as a ‘goal machine’ thanks to his impact at Leipzig, but Newcastle would face stiff competition from Inter Milan for his signature.
Openda has a release clause worth close to £70million written into his contract and is open to leaving after Leipzig failed to qualify for European football this season.
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