Newcastle 'prepare big contract proposal' as Alexander Isak to Liverpool takes twist

Newcastle are reportedly preparing a huge contract proposal as they consider their options in the wake of Alexander Isak's explosive transfer demand. The Swede has sat out of the Magpies' pre-season tour to Asia after asking to leave the club, having asked for his wages to be bolstered to £300,000 a week.

Liverpool were put on red alert following the revelation, having already spent nearly £300million this summer and bringing in fellow striker Hugo Ekitike. A formal bid is expected to be launched from Anfield which would smash the British transfer record.

Newcastle want to keep Isak at St James' Park, but are seemingly not willing to break their existing wage structure to appease the talisman. He would earn twice as much as top stars such as Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes as a result.

In turn, Newcastle have been forced to look at succession options for Isak. Their sights appear to be set on RB Leipzig wonderkid Benjamin Sesko, who has previously been linked with Manchester United and Arsenal.

Transfer expert claims that Newcastle are working on a significant contract proposal to Sesko, with the club ready to "go big" next week. These seven days are considered crucial for the Slovenian's future.

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Newcastle are also ready to approach Leipzig over Sesko in the knowledge that a gentleman's agreement exists, allowing the 22-year-old to leave this summer for potentially as much as a fixed fee of £69m, with a further £8m in add-ons.

Sesko's arrival would go some way to sooth the pain of losing Isak, especially to a Premier League rival, with Liverpool's transfer kitty bolstered by the imminent sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65m. They could also sell Darwin Nunez to Saudi Arabia to raise further funds.

And Eddie Howe has called for Newcastle to make a decision shortly on their plans for Isak.

"The ownership, together with the board of directors... the decision will rest with the board," Howe said. "There's a whole football club that has to make the decision."

He also confirmed that there was "no chance" Isak would join up with the rest of the squad in South Korea.

"I've got no major update on that," Howe added on Isak, after an injury was first cited for his absence. "He first mentioned his thigh just before the Celtic game.

"We assumed it would be a very minimal injury, nothing too serious. And then on the Monday after the Celtic game, he went in from training very early and didn't feel right.

"So he's now in Newcastle getting that injury assessed and hopefully he'll be back soon and playing in the black-and-white shirt. That's what we all want to see."