Eddie Howe has issued a hands-off warning on rumoured Tottenham target Alexander Isak, insisting that he wants to build the team around the Swede at Newcastle United.
Isak has emerged as one of the best centre-forwards in the Premier League since arriving at Newcastle in the summer of 2022 and has quickly become a fan favourite at St James’ Park.
The 24-year-old netted twice in the 4-0 win over Tottenham on Saturday, taking his goal tally for the campaign to 21 strikes across all competitions.
It was reported by The Sun two weeks ago that the Magpies might have to sell some of their players in order to comply with FFP regulations, with Isak potentially being on the chopping block.
The outlet claimed that Newcastle were bracing themselves for bids from both Spurs and Arsenal for the centre-forward, who they allegedly value at £100m.
The two North London clubs’ interest in Isak was subsequently backed up by Football Insider, who added that Spurs have allocated a big portion of the summer budget to sign a top-class number nine.
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Eddie Howe says Alexander Isak is not for sale
However, Howe has now declared that Newcastle’s star striker is not for sale, pointing out that centre-forwards of his calibre are hard to find.
When asked about the speculation over Isak’s future, he said (via Fabrizio Romano): “We are trying to build a team here. We need to keep our best players. The elite ones are so difficult to recruit.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Isak never really sounded like a realistic target for Tottenham and our chances of landing him have now only got slimmer after last weekend’s results.
Not only would the 24-year-old have doubts about joining Spurs after just seeing his side thrash them 4-0 but there is now also a very serious risk that we would miss out on Champions League qualification.
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