Newcastle United have reportedly identified two Premier League strikers as alternatives to Yoane Wissa after Brentford ‘closed the door’ on his exit this summer.
Eddie Howe is eager to add a new striker during the current window, regardless of Alexander Isak’s future at the club.
Isak has reportedly told the Magpies he wants to explore his options amid interest from Liverpool, which has ignited serious interest in RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko.
Sesko has been identified as a direct replacement for Isak, and if the Slovenian is signed, he would arrive alongside another centre-forward.
Wissa now appears unlikely to join Newcastle after Brentford told the Magpies to pay £50million or walk away. The 28-year-old is reportedly furious, having previously been promised he could leave this summer for £26m.
Brentford’s stance changed following the sale of Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United, and Wissa is now said to be refusing to train after what he feels is a broken promise, according to Ben Jacobs.
With Brentford significantly upping their asking price, Newcastle are already exploring alternatives — including Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, per Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope.
Hope reports that Newcastle boss Howe wants Isak to stay and sign a new contract, while the striker’s camp believe he deserves double his current £150,000-a-week wage — a demand that would blow apart the club’s existing wage structure.
With Isak expected to join Liverpool and the Wissa deal stalling, Newcastle have ‘added Jackson to the list of attacking targets,’ while Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is ‘also in their thoughts’.
Hope writes:
Howe wants him to stay. He wants his player to sign a new contract, be rewarded with the pay cheque he deserves, and return to the fold a happy man. But because the manager knows that is probably not going to happen — at least as it stands — he has to manage with realism, not blind optimism.
As for Isak, there was always going to come a day when a star shone too brightly for Newcastle’s orbit, and the truth is that the club probably cannot meet the salary expectations of their brightest asteroid. He currently earns around £150k per week and his camp believe he is worth double.
The alternative? Sell at a premium and reinvest. We can reveal that Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson has been added to the list of attacking targets, with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins also in their thoughts.
A deal for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa is not dead yet and the player is threatening to go on strike to force the move, while an enquiry has been made for Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig.
Meanwhile, French newspaper L’Équipe has reported that newly-promoted Saudi Pro League side Neom SC are interested in signing Wissa from Brentford.
They would need to meet the Bees’ hefty valuation — but are financially capable of doing so. Like Newcastle, Neom are owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, who appear determined to land Wissa one way or another.
Neom are reportedly ‘confident of finalising the deal quickly’, though Jacobs has stated that the Brentford star ‘wants to stay in the Premier League’.