Newcastle United intend to step up talks with Alexander Isak as part of a continuing “happy camp” strategy which has seen them clinch a new long-term deal for Anthony Gordon this week.
Preliminary negotiations with Isak, Newcastle’s £100m-rated striker who is also interesting Arsenal and Chelsea, have taken place and i understands the player is keen to follow Gordon’s lead and commit beyond 2028, when his current deal expires.
Given his growing stature in the Premier League there’s an acceptance that a bump in the terms given to him when he signed will be required – and there is now a precedent with Newcastle’s approach to Gordon.
i understands there is huge satisfaction at St James’ Park that they have been able to resolve Gordon’s future so quickly, with the player seen as “the perfect fit” for their ambitions of regularly competing for Champions League qualification.
There were fears his head had been turned by interest from Liverpool in the summer, with Newcastle having considered the emergency option of trading him in the close season as they struggled to avoid breaching Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
But Gordon’s response has been exemplary, with training ground sources praising his effort and application.
Newcastle’s intention is to build around a core of good characters with the potential to improve. After clinching Bruno Guimaraes’ long-term future earlier this year, Gordon’s new deal illustrates that director of football Paul Mitchell remains wedded to that idea.
Indeed, the club also held initial talks with Sven Botman before he suffered a season-ending ACL injury last year. Paris Saint Germain have held a long-term interest in the Netherlands defender.
The club will also point to Gordon’s deal as proof that ambition remains after a difficult 2024 in which they have failed to make significant additions in the transfer market.
Securing an ambitious England international to a long-term deal is proof that what Mitchell called Newcastle’s “journey” remains on track.
“I’m very happy here, I like living here, the team is very suited to me – and I’m here to win a trophy. The short story is we need to win a trophy,” Gordon said after signing.
“Winning a trophy here would be unbelievable because the fans have waited so long. To be part of that team who finally does it is a massive goal of mine.”
So what comes next?
It said a lot that Mitchell was pictured alongside Eddie Howe at Gordon’s contract announcement. After tension in the summer this is the first major sign of the “alignment” that insiders say they believe the club now has.
But Mitchell is still intent on making changes to the club’s recruitment practices and objectives. As i reported earlier this week, a right winger is now considered the priority in the next transfer window, and Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo the dream target.
That is seen as unlikely to happen in January though – as is any renewed interest in Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga or Marc Guehi, prime summer targets.
Is PSR still a problem?
Supporters will not want to hear it but PSR continues to impact on the club’s thinking. Sources tell i there is money to spend – and Newcastle’s stated aspiration is to invest everything they are able to – but the idea that there is headroom to spend the £50m they were prepared to pay for Guehi without possible player trading in the future feels unlikely.
There is also caution around prices and player availability in January, which makes recruiting top-class players from Premier League rivals difficult. They did manage to take Gordon from Everton in January 2023 but that was something of an outlier given his desire to leave Goodison Park.
We will know more when Newcastle post their latest set of accounts in January, which should show a significant uptick in commercial revenue. Howe himself said the club intend to be “strategic” in January, with a desire to start looking at overseas markets.
Newcastle also want to avoid a situation where they are forced into sales, which is what happened in June.
The club are watching the improvement of Elliot Anderson at Nottingham Forest – he was man of the match in their Monday defeat of Crystal Palace – with huge regret. Howe did not want to lose the England under-21 midfielder but the club were left with no choice.
Instead the club hope to be able to profit from others who are in PSR difficulty this summer, something that would indicate a more long-term view is being taken.
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