NEWCASTLE UNITED are exploring a swoop for RB Leipzig’s 22-year-old Benjamin Sesko as a possible Alexander Isak replacement.
Isak rocked Newcastle on Thursday by telling them he wants to leave the club - with Liverpool ready to pounce for the £120million-rated striker.
The club are exploring a move for the 22-year-old Slovenian, but the finances of such a deal are understood to be difficult for the North East club.
Sesko was linked to , Man Utd and earlier in the window.
have since moved forward with a deal for Swedish striker , while Man Utd have signed and Bryan Mbeumo, leaving Newcastle a clear run at Sesko.
The 6ft 5in striker signed a new contract last summer that saw him drop a £55million release clause.
However, according to transfer guru , Sesko has a “gentlemen’s agreement” that certain clubs could see his fee reduced to £60-70million with add-ons.
The hitman netted 21 goals in 45 games last season across all competitions for .
The Magpies are also working on a £30million bid for ‘s .
The DR Congo international could be the latest Brentford star out the door following ‘s move to Man Utd.
Isak, 25, spurred Newcastle to look at other options when the expressed his desire to leave the club.
The Magpies, who had hoped to tie the Swede to a new mega-money contract, had claimed his to Singapore was due to a “minor thigh injury”.
But , who SunSport learned was complaining of the thigh and groin problems that dogged him last season while in Austria last week, is reluctant to sign a £300,000-a-week extension.
Instead he has that he wants to go and things could now accelerate despite Newcastle’s Saudi owners still backing boss wishes and refusing to sell.
Howe stated Isak would “absolutely” be on the plane after the 4-0 defeat at on Saturday - even though he sent Isak home from Glasgow due to him being affected by transfer speculation.
approach last week and continue to insist they will not sell last season’s 27-goal top scorer.
The Reds then hijacked Newcastle’s move for but still hopes to bring Isak in while Saudi side Al-Hilal are also keen.
Sun Sport reported how Isak’s camp initially felt let down by Newcastle 12 months ago.
That was due to the promise of a pay rise from his current £130,000-a-week contract made by the club’s former co-owners and Mehrdad Ghodoussi failing to happen.
One of the first decisions from the now ex-sporting director Paul Mitchell was to postpone negotiations due to his contract having four years to run and a feeling he was already handsomely paid.
Despite Mitchell’s departure and Newcastle’s willingness to smash their £150,000-a-week pay ceiling to make him the best-paid player in their history, they now face a huge fight to hang on to their prized asset.
Meanwhile, Alan Shearer slammed his former club and claimed it was “ridiculous” that they didn’t just tell the “truth” about Isak wanting away.
Toon’s all-time top scorer told Betfair: “It’s ridiculous what Newcastle put out to say he wasn’t on the trip because of a slight thigh injury. If they thought people wouldn’t see through that - it was disappointing.
“They should’ve just told the truth straight away. I understand it’s a very difficult situation for them but it is what it is.
“Isak has been brilliant for Newcastle, helped us achieve our dream of winning a trophy and if there’s no way whatsoever that he can be persuaded to stay at Newcastle, then they have to get the best deal possible and if someone’s prepared to pay what they want, you have to say thank you and build for the future.”
Shearer added: “There’s no individual bigger than the football club. Newcastle will be losing a world class player if he goes. Players leave football clubs all the time and get replaced. If that’s the case here, it’s disappointing but you have to say thank you and move on.”
Away from the senior squad, Newcastle have made South Korean Park Seung-soo the latest wonderkid to join their ranks.
The 18-year-old winger, the youngest professional goalscorer in South Korean football history, joined from K League 2 side Suwon Bluewings.
He is the latest talented teen to join the ranks on Tyneside following the recent captures of Spanish whizkid Antonio Cordero, Georgian forward Vakhtang Salia and Irish starlet Kyle Fitzgerald.
