Newcastle are unperturbed in their pursuit of Jorgen Strand Larsen despite Wolverhampton Wanderers rejecting a £50m bid for the Norway international.
Ahead of a huge meeting between Newcastle and Liverpool at St James’ Park on Monday, the Magpies tabled their first offer for Strand Larsen following what sources insist were “positive discussions” between intermediaries.
The 25-year-old is understood to be keen on a move to Newcastle but Wolves insist he is not for sale this late in the transfer window.
Whether that is the end of the matter is not clear given the Magpies are desperate for striker reinforcements and appear to have switched their attention away from Yoane Wissa after Brentford rejected a second formal offer last week.
While they maintain a watching brief on Wissa’s situation, Brentford do not want to sell the striker and weaken their own squad without a ready-made replacement, which will be difficult with just a week to go in the window.
There is a feeling in recruitment circles that Newcastle’s bid for Strand Larsen is significant and potentially over his current valuation, so it may yet move the dial.
Sources suggested the Magpies could go higher for the player and test Wolves’ resolve in the coming days.
What all this means for Liverpool’s interest in Alexander Isak is the subplot to Newcastle’s latest moves in the transfer market.
The i Paper understands that Strand Larsen is viewed solely as a replacement for Callum Wilson, who departed the club as a free agent earlier in the summer.
While some question whether Newcastle would need to spend big to replace a player who was so peripheral last season, the club’s view even before Isak going on strike was that they needed someone to share the goalscoring burden with the Sweden international.
Given that they have Champions League commitments this season, being able to rotate forwards has always been a priority, and dictated interest in Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike.
Liverpool, it should be pointed out, are yet to register a second bid and their official position is that they have withdrawn from the race after a £110m offer was turned down three weeks ago.
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In the meantime, Isak’s conduct has complicated the picture at Newcastle.
The Magpies’ bid for Strand Larsen coincides with club chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan jetting into the north-East for his first visit to St James’ Park since February.
The PIF governor is being kept across club matters and the ownership want to support Newcastle as they attempt to finish the summer transfer window with a flourish.
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