Eddie Howe says he only knows Alexander Isak is in Spain through media reports, and admits the situation is ‘far from ideal’.
The Newcastle striker is currently using the training facilities at former club Real Sociedad as he and his agent try to force a move to Liverpool. He is not here with the squad in South Korea after reporting a thigh injury.
Liverpool saw an opening offer of £110million rejected on Friday, and later claimed they were walking away from the deal. Sources close to the situation are baffled by the value of the bid, given it was £10m less than what they discussed during informal talks last month.
Newcastle see no reason why Isak will not return to training with his team-mates on Tyneside next week, but it would appear his decision to head to San Sebastián was not sanctioned by his club.
‘I know where he is, really, through the media,’ Howe told Mail Sport from here in Seoul. ‘From that perspective, it’s difficult for me to go into any kind of detail. The situation is far from ideal and is quite complex.’
Of the rejected offer, Howe said: ‘I was made aware of a bid yesterday (Friday) and that bid was turned down, all before I’d even heard about it. People back in England are dealing with the situation. I don’t know what happens next. From our perspective, we still support Alex in every way and my wish is that we see him in a Newcastle shirt again.’
Eddie Howe has described the protracted transfer saga surrounding Alexander Isak as ‘far from ideal’
The Newcastle striker is currently training at former club Real Sociedad as he attempts to force through a move
Liverpool made an official offer of £110million for Isak on Friday which was swiftly rejected
There is some sympathy for Isak inside Newcastle, with a feeling he has been badly advised. Sources have also expressed surprise and annoyance at Liverpool’s conduct.
When asked if the Premier League champions had unsettled his star player, Howe said: ‘It’s difficult, because you don’t know what is going to happen from this point. We can only deal with the reality. The reality is we had a first bid from Liverpool and I believe that was turned down. From this point onwards, let’s see what happens.
‘In terms of trying to upset players and all that kind of stuff, from my perspective, we can only talk about our conduct. We try to do things in the right way. Signing players is always complex. We just try to do what we think is right. I can’t talk about other clubs, that’s not for me to say.’