Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes revealed he hasn’t spoken to wantaway Alexander Isak – but admitted he is ‘really missing’ the striker.
Isak was again absent from the squad for the 3-2 defeat by Liverpool at St James’ Park on Monday night, having gone on strike in his bid to force a move to Anfield.
A staggering £110million bid was rebuffed by the club earlier this month and there remains no clear resolution to the saga despite the window closing next Monday. The possibility of the Reds returning with an improved package also cannot be ruled out.
While he seeks to engineer a big-money switch to Merseyside, Isak has been training away from the first-team and has had limited interactions with his team-mates.
Speaking after the loss to Liverpool, Guimaraes spoke honestly on the stand-off, revealing he would prefer Isak to return as soon as possible.
‘I haven’t had any contact with him,’ he told ESPN Brasil. ‘We’ve been training in the mornings, and he trains at a different time, when no one from the team is around.
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‘As captain, and for us as players, it’s a tough situation because we want to have the best players with us. That’s something we can’t control; the club, the management, the owners are dealing with it, and I hope it gets sorted out in the best way.’
Isak’s refusal to play has culminated in a gaping hole in Eddie Howe’s attack. Anthony Gordon has filled in as a makeshift No 9 so far this season, but he will now serve a three-match suspension after being sent off for a poor challenge on Virgil van Dijk.
Howe has scrambled to find a way to replace the 23 Premier League goals Isak scored last campaign, but bids for several potential replacements have been rejected.
‘We’re really missing our striker, a player who scored more than 20 goals in the Premier League last season, so of course he’s someone we feel the absence of,’ Guimaraes added. ‘We hope to have our best player back.
‘But unfortunately, this is a situation that neither I nor any other player can control.’
Daily Mail Sport exclusively revealed that Newcastle co-owner Jamie Reuben and a PIF delegation spoke to Isak at his home in a last-ditch bid to convince him to stay.
The club want the frontman to return to training and it is understood that a new contract would be part of discussions, should Isak choose to commit himself.
Magpies chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan was in attendance for the defeat by Liverpool on Monday night, but he was not part of the meeting. He is, however, said to have given his full backing to the effort to bring the Swede back into the squad.
Howe has largely been left in the dark over the situation, telling reporters: ‘I’m not party to the talks that have been happening, so I’ve got no idea where that stands.’
Meanwhile, Wolves rejected an improved £55m bid from Newcastle for striker Jorgen Strand-Larsen. The new offer arrived on Tuesday evening, just as the Norwegian was scoring twice in his side’s 3-2 victory over West Ham in the Carabao Cup.
It was swiftly rebuffed just one day on from the rejected opening approach of £50m.
