Dan Burn responds to Alexander Isak speculation after Newcastle forward eyes transfer

Burn says the team would be upset if they 'lost any player' but hopes Isak will remain at the club

Dan Burn says Newcastle would be upset if they 'lost any player' and hopes Alexander Isak will stay at the club (Getty Images)

Newcastle United defender Dan Burn gave his thoughts on the transfer speculation concerning teammate Alexander Isak as the 25-year-old striker faces a potential exit during the summer transfer window.

Isak has been the subject of ongoing rumours with his future at the Premier League club in doubt following reports that he wants to ‘explore his options’ during the summer.

The North East side are adamant that they want to retain his services heading into the new season but may be tempted by a big money offer with Premier League champions Liverpool having already made informal inquiries as to whether a deal can be done.

Newcastle’s players are currently on a pre-season tour of Asia, and will face Arsenal on Sunday, but Isak has been left out of the squad due to a ‘minor thigh issue’.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Burn revealed that losing ‘any player’ in this transfer window would upset the team and hopes Isak will remain at the club.

“I think if we lost any player it would upset us,” he said. “We’re a tight knit group that’s been together for two, three years now so, yeah, any player that leaves it doesn’t help.

“But, from out point of view we’ll control what we can control. At the moment we’re looking forward to getting Alex [Isak] back when he’s fit.”

According to Magpies boss Eddie Howe, Isak was also left out of last week's friendly defeat to Celtic due to ‘speculation’ around his future with the manager wanting to remove him from any potential scrutiny.

Throughout this whole saga, Newcastle have been clear that they value Isak at £150m though should an big offer in the same region be placed on the table their resolve may be tested, especially with the knowledge that the player wants to consider his options.

At that price point only a handful of teams across Europe would be able to afford the fee for Isak with Newcastle also holding a strong negotiating hand as the forward still has three years remaining on his current contract.

Newcastle United are desperate to keep Alexander Isak as part of their team amid ongoing transfer speculation (PA Wire)

Howe has also addressed Isak’s situation and confirmed that he wants the striker to remain at the club. He said: "We have a few of those players who are irreplaceable.

“Your top players are so hard to find, so hard to recruit and so hard to develop. So when you have them, you need to treasure them. Of course we're desperate to keep him [Isak] as part of our team.”