Newcastle and Isak are at war, but with so little time remaining of the transfer window, an uncomfortable truce may be more likely than his dream move to Liverpool.

In reply to Isak's statement, Newcastle issued their own official response. It read: "We are clear, in response, that Alex remains under contract - and that no commitment has ever been made by a club official that Alex can leave Newcastle United this summer.

This appeared to be a cryptic reference from Isak to the prospect of talks being held over a new contract last summer. Isak, however, still had four years to run on his deal at the time and discussions were ultimately postponed due to the club's Profit and Sustainability (PSR) concerns.