Alexander Isak insists he wants to be at Newcastle United “in the future” and he will not “entertain” questions concerning a potential summer exit.
The 24-year-old moved on to 19 goals for the season, 15 of which have come in the Premier League, following his well-taken strike during the 1-1 draw against Everton on Tuesday night.
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Isak has been strongly linked with Arsenal — who are said to want a striker this summer and have tracked his development long-term — while his goal scoring record, age and all-round ability surely make him one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe.
“Yeah, of course I want to be here in the future,” Isak, Newcastle’s £60million ($75.4m) club-record signing, said. “I came here for the project, I absolutely love playing here, I really feel at home. I want to finish this season in a good way for me and the team. I love playing here.”
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Pushed as to potential interest from top European clubs, Isak said: “I don’t want to entertain these type of questions and rumours. It’s not my position. I love playing, we have important games, there’s no focus there (on my future), I just want to do good for the team.”
Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s head coach, described Isak as an “outstanding talent” following his brace of penalties against West Ham United at the weekend and stressed that “no-one connected with Newcastle would want to lose him”.
There is a desire to build the team around Isak, given his top-class qualities and potential to improve, rather than cash in on the Sweden international. Even given Newcastle’s issues regarding the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), Isak is not a player they would consider selling to help finance a squad overhaul.
It would take an astronomical offer for eighth-placed Newcastle to consider selling, though qualification for European football may be important in convincing Isak to stay.
“I think you have to try and keep your best players,” Howe said on Tuesday. “Whether you’re able to do that continually with the rules that are in place at the moment, that’s always unsure. I’m not in control of that.
”But from my perspective, to be the team that we want to be, we have to try and keep our best players and keep improving the other way.”
(Gareth Copley/Getty Images)