Newcastle make Benjamin Sesko bid with Alexander Isak’s future ‘complex’

Newcastle have made an official bid to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko after boss Eddie Howe admitted the situation surrounding unsettled star Alexander Isak was “far from ideal”.

All eyes are on St James’ Park right now as the Premier League club look to keep the Swedish sharpshooter while also attempting to bring in a big-name striker.

The PA news agency understands Newcastle have accelerated talks with Leipzig to sign Sesko – who Manchester United also have in their sights – and submitted an offer reportedly worth up to £69.7million.

The development comes after the Magpies rejected a £110m bid for Isak on Friday from Liverpool, who recently beat them to the signing of Frankfurt frontman Hugo Ekitike.

“I think from my situation, I am very much removed from everything that is happening back home,” Newcastle boss Howe said on Isak.

“I was made aware that there was a bid yesterday. That bid was turned down all before I even heard about it, so I think there’s people back in England dealing with the situation.

“I really don’t know what’s going to happen next, but from our perspective we still support Alex in every way, and my wish is still that we see him in a Newcastle shirt again.”

Isak did not travel to Asia for Newcastle’s pre-season tour due to what the club called a “minor thigh injury”, only for talk of his unhappiness to emerge.

Howe admitted “you don’t know what’s going to happen from this point” and, surprisingly, that he found out that the 25-year-old was training at former club Real Sociedad through the media.

“I know where he is, really, through the media, so I think from that perspective it’s difficult for me to go into any kind of detail,” the Newcastle boss said at a press conference in Seoul