Newcastle United have abandoned their pursuits of both Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak and Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby after struggling to agree either transfer fees or wages with either player despite longstanding interest.
The Magpies are looking to attract top talent to their side following the PIF takeover in late 2021, having signed Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier in January and luring Sven Botman to Tyneside already this summer despite AC Milan interest.
LILLE – Sven Botman of Lille OSC suffers a hamstring strain during the UEFA Champions League match between Lille OSC and Chelsea FC at Stade Pierre Mauroy on March 16, 2022 in Lille, France. ANP | Dutch Height | Gerrit van Keulen (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
However, they have struggled beyond that, especially as they look to bolster their front line, with a deal for Reims striker Hugo Ekitike falling through and now the Magpies having, as per the Telegraph, pulled out of deals for Isak and Diaby.
According to the report ‘Newcastle had been hoping to make a breakthrough on either the Isak or Diaby deals this week but confidence has drained in the last 48 hours with their clubs unwilling to compromise or even negotiate from a realistic position in terms of their true market value.’
Change or transfer policy
This setback has resulted in a change of transfer policy this summer on Tyneside, with the Telegraph reporting that “instead of signing established internationals like Isak and Diaby, who are regulars for Sweden and France respectively, the Magpies are now focusing on players who are either younger or less well established in the hope of getting more value for money”.
One such option is Aston Villa’s Carney Chukwuemeka, who is out of contract next summer and has attracted interest from Barcelona among other clubs in the Premier League.
2F63KXK Cardiff, UK. 29th Mar, 2021. Carney Chukwuemeka of England in action. U18 Football international match, Wales v England, at the Leckwith stadium in Cardiff, South Wales on Monday 29th March 2021. Editorial use only. pic by Andrew Orchard/Andrew Orchard sports photography/Alamy Live News Credit: Andrew Orchard sports photography/Alamy Live News
The Magpies would be keen to sign him this summer, but it is unclear whether Aston Villa, who left him out of their pre-season tour, would be willing to sell to a fellow European hopeful.
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Premier League table
| † | Team | MP | d | p |
| 1 | AFC Bournemouth | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Arsenal FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Brentford FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Chelsea FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Crystal Palace | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Fulham FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Leicester City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Liverpool FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Manchester United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Nottingham Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Southampton FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | West Ham United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 23 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 15 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 12 |
| Toney, Ivano | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyadh | Manchester City | 11 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 11 |
| Xhaka, Granite | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, Jameso | Burnley FC | 0 | 11 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Reuben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 9 |
| McTominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Toney, Ivano | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paulo | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| player | Team | assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 11 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 9 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paulo | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Antonio, Mikhail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |