Alexander Isak rejects Newcastle olive branch from club officials in north-east visit

Alexander Isak is understood to have declined a high-powered invitation to return to Newcastle’s first-team fold.

The Sweden striker has spent most of this summer on a form of strike as he attempts to engineer a move to Liverpool by refusing to play for Eddie Howe’s first team or rejoin the squad for training.

Newcastle’s manager has repeatedly asked Isak to reintegrate as the club’s Saudi Arabian owners decide whether to hold the 25-year-old to a £140,000-a-week contract with three years still outstanding or sell him to Anfield.

On Monday afternoon Jamie Reuben, Newcastle’s minority owner, and representatives of the majority owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, visited Isak and his representatives in Northumberland and attempted to broker a rapprochement.

It is understood the forward was offered a lucrative pay rise in exchange for a willingness to stay for at least one more season but that prospect carried little appeal.

This impasse is far from ideal from Howe, who needs to replace Isak’s former understudy Callum Wilson, now at West Ham, and is running out of time to find a striker to fill the Swede’s boots.

Yasir al-Rumayyan, Newcastle’s chair, is in the middle of a rare visit to the north-east and would ideally like to keep Isak, but Howe has made clear he only wants players who are fully committed and would like a swift resolution to a problem that has dominated this summer.

In the hours before Newcastle’s 3-2 home defeat by Liverpool on Monday Rumayyan sanctioned a £50m bid for the Wolves centre-forward Jørgen Strand Larsen. Although that offer was swiftly rejected it is thought an improved bid will follow and Newcastle are hopeful that will be accepted. Wolves continue to insist the Norwegian is not for sale.

Newcastle have also had a £40m bid for Yoane Wissa rejected. Although Brentford do not want to lose Wissa the striker is desperate to join Newcastle and a transfer, although complicated, could yet transpire before Monday’s deadline. A more readily available option is Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, although he was far from the top of Howe’s original attacking shortlist.

View image in fullscreen Will Osula, who scored Newcastle’s equaliser against Liverpool, may start against Leeds on Saturday. Photograph: Paul Currie/Colorsport/Shutterstock

Liverpool have had a £110m offer for Isak rejected and know they will need to up it considerably to have a chance of extracting a player their manager, Arne Slot, has long coveted.

skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Football Daily Free daily newsletter Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football Enter your email address Sign up Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy . We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion

With Isak making himself unavailable for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Leeds and his understudy, the England winger Anthony Gordon, beginning a three-game suspension, Howe could start the inexperienced Will Osula.

Newcastle could also be without the key midfielders Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, owing to respective shoulder and groin injuries, as well as the concussed central defender Fabian Schär.

Wolves are poised to complete the signing of the Girona defender Ladislav Krejci. Wolves consider Krejci a permanent signing but the Czech Republic centre-back will join on an initial loan. Wolves will trigger a £20m permanent move after a number of appearances.

Krejci joined the La Liga club last year from Sparta Prague, where the 26-year-old won two league titles. He becomes Vítor Pereira’s fifth summer signing but the Wolves manager still wants to add a midfielder and a forward.

Click here to read article