Last Updated:
Newcastle signed Nick Woltemade for a record fee as Alexander Isak nears Liverpool.
Will Alexander Isak leave Newcastle United? (AP)
Alexander Isak’s potential transfer to Liverpool is closer than ever as Newcastle United secured German international striker Nick Woltemade for a club record fee, reportedly as much as £69 million ($93 million, Rs. 821.50 crore), on Saturday. The fee surpasses the £63 million Newcastle paid Real Sociedad for Isak three years ago.
The 23-year-old Woltemade, who has been capped twice for Germany, signed a long-term deal.
Liverpool has set its sights on the 25-year-old Isak, who is taken into account the most effective centre-forwards on the planet. The Premier League champions are preparing to submit an improved offer for the Sweden striker after their initial £110 million bid was turned down in the primary month of the window.
Newcastle have continued to disclaim that Isak is on the market, but reports claim that they need to delay sanctioning a sale until they get two latest strikers on the payroll. Aside from Isak, who has not been training with the team for weeks, Callum Wilson has also left the club and joined West Ham United on a free transfer.
Woltemade, Newcastle’s fifth signing since last season ended, is prone to be one in all the 2.
“From the primary contact, I felt just like the club really wanted me and had big plans for me,” Woltemade, who netted 17 goals in 33 matches across all competitions last season, said. “It’s an enormous step in my life to go away Germany, but everyone has welcomed me so warmly that it already looks like family. I even have a very good feeling from talking to the top coach that that is the suitable place for me to seek out my best level. I do know the stadium from watching games on television — it looks amazing and I do know the atmosphere is crazy.”
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, who has faced challenges within the transfer market, praised Woltemade, who was the highest scorer with six goals at this summer’s Under-21 European Championships, as a really perfect addition.
“He matches the profile for exactly what we’ve got been trying to add to our attacking options,” said Howe. “He’s strong in a variety of areas — he has great technical ability and has proven himself to be an actual threat in one in all Europe’s top leagues — but he’s also still at an age where he has loads of room to develop and grow here. Nick is a terrific character too,” he added.
Isak played an important role within the Magpies’ qualification for the Champions League and their League Cup victory last season. However the relations between him and the team are said to be totally severed.
Newcastle’s striker search remains to be ongoing, with Wolves’ Norwegian footballer Jørgen Strand Larsen and Brentford’s DR Congo striker Yoane Wissa high on their lists.
Read More