Journalist Mark Douglas has revealed what Paul Mitchell plans to do with Alexander Isak regarding a new deal at Newcastle United.
Gordon, Isak & other Newcastle contracts
The Magpies are on the verge of agreeing a contract extension for Anthony Gordon, keeping him at St James’ Park until the summer of 2030. It is significant news, considering the 23-year-old was linked with a move to boyhood club Liverpool during the summer transfer window.
Away from the Gordon situation, there are plenty of Newcastle players who are due to be out of contract in the next couple of years, meaning that action is required when it comes to their futures.
The likes of Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson, Fabian Schar and Dan Burn all see their current deals expire at the end of this season, at which point they will be allowed to leave on free transfers. It remains to be seen how many, if any, are retained by the club.
Meanwhile, Isak’s current contract is up in the summer of 2028 but that hasn’t stopped teams sniffing around, and Douglas has now revealed what Mitchell plans to do about that.
Newcastle step up contract talks with Isak
According to a new report from Douglas, Newcastle and Mitchell have stepped up their efforts to agree a new contract with Isak, as they look to tie down the striker and Gordon at the same time. Their sporting director is keen on “squad building” and the Swede is a primary area of focus.
Talks have gone up a gear, as the Magpies aim to retain the services of one of their most influential players, amid interest from Arsenal and Chelsea. The player has already indicated he’d like to stay in an initial round of talks, but Douglas claims more negotiations are planned soon.
Sorting a new deal for the currently £6m-a-year Isak feels as important as any new signing for Newcastle, given the impact he has had since arriving from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022. The 25-year-old has scored 36 goals in 73 appearances for the Magpies, and had it not been for some injury absences, those tallies would be bigger.
He has even received huge praise from all-time legend Alan Shearer: “His whole game is really, really top notch. His runs are superb. If you just watch how clever he is when he doesn’t get the first pass played in, he then goes behind a defender to come back in and bend his run to make sure that he is onside, then he can make a really clever finish.”
Isak still has a huge amount to offer Newcastle, given his age, so to see him suddenly move elsewhere would be tough to take, especially if it was to one of the Magpies’ Premier League rivals.
Real Sociedad
132
44
8
Newcastle United
73
36
6
AIK
29
13
1
Willem II
18
14
7
Borussia Dortmund
13
1
1
Granted, his fitness can be an issue, but he has only missed one league game so far this season and the hope is that injuries won’t define him moving forward, even though he will be absent for Tuesday night’s EFL Cup clash with AFC Wimbledon.
Isak has the ability and ceiling to be one of Newcastle’s greatest attacking players of the Premier League era, and if they keep hold of him for many more years, he can spearhead the club’s future success.