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Malaysian Paper SCAN ME Isak eyes Magpies exit Liverpool monitoring situation as Swedish striker ‘furious’ with Newcastle and wants out SATURDAY | JULY 26, 2025

Ű BY MIGUEL DELANEY

options this summer”. The Mail said Liverpool were still interested in acquiring the Sweden international despite announcing the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Ekitike. Isak still has three years left on his contract at Newcastle, whom he joined in 2022 from Spanish side Real Sociedad. Newcastle boss Howe said at the time he was “confident” that Isak would stay at St James’ Park, adding that he expected him to be part of the Asia tour. “It’s difficult for me to give 100 percent clarity on any player,” he said. “I’d never sit here and do that because it’s football and you never know what could happen. “All I can say is that Alex is happy at Newcastle. He loves the players that he plays with, the staff, the team.” Newcastle face Arsenal in Singapore tomorrow before flying to South Korea, where they will play a K League all-star team and Tottenham. – The Independent/AFP

Liverpool’s current stance is that they are comfortable with their options at centre forward and feel they have their number-nine in Ekitike, but a move for Isak this window has not been ruled out. Mikel Arteta has long been an admirer of the Swede, and would have love to do a deal, but it is seen as virtually impossible that Arsenal’s Kroenke ownership will extend the budget. Chelsea have now ruled out a move, despite previous interest in Isak, and representing one of the few clubs with the available budget. Any move for Isak would have also required a deviation from recent targets, as they continue to pursue moves for Xavi Simons and Jarrel Hato. While virtually every club sees Isak as an outstanding talent, there is some doubt about whether £150m is worth it for a player who has recently struggled to consistently play in full European schedules without injury. The Daily Mail said yesterday that Newcastle bosses “are aware of Isak’s wish to consider his

still has three years left on his current contract. There are also no ongoing talks over a new deal. An offer in the region of £150 million (RM853m) may test that, though, especially with the knowledge that the player wants to consider his options. The big question, however, is where such an offer comes from. There are only about eight clubs that could afford such a deal, but almost none of them have the PSR headroom or squad need to make it happen. Liverpool have just spent £79 million (RM449m) on Hugo Ekitike, a deal that had been linked to Isak’s future given Newcastle’s own interest in the French forward. That feasibly rules them out of a future move, although there is the potential twist should Darwin Nunez or Luis Diaz leave. Liverpool do have PSR headroom but want to ensure they have a sustainable squad with a manageable wage bill. Bayern Munich have spoken to Liverpool about Diaz, but it has not yet reached the point of an offer.

A LEXANDER ISAK wants to explore options at other clubs and a transfer away from Newcastle United, potentially throwing Eddie Howe’s summer plans into chaos. The 25-year-old was not included in last week’s friendly defeat to Celtic due to “speculation” around his future, and has now not travelled to Singapore for pre-season due to a thigh injury. Newcastle have been made aware that Isak is keen to consider his future elsewhere. The Independent understands that Howe had already privately told prominent figures at the club this summer that he was concerned about the player’s situation. That view also precedes reports of Liverpool’s public interest last week. Newcastle’s position remains the same, however, which is that Isak is not for sale. Their stance has also been bolstered by the fact that he

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Pearly-Thinaah cruise into China Open semis, Tang Jie-Ee Wei journey ends

NATIONAL women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah cruised into the semifinals of the China Open after defeating Japan’s Yuki Fukushima Mayu Matsumoto in straight games yesterday. The world No. 3 pair were in total control throughout the match, winning 21-16, 21-12 in just 38 minutes at the Olympic Sports Centre

Meanwhile, national women’s doubles pair Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing endured a similar fate as they went down to home pair Jia Yi Fan Zhang Shu Xian, 7-21, 15-21. This was Pei Kee-Mei Xing’s fourth straight loss against Yi Fan-Shu Xian since they first crossed paths in the Malaysia Open 2025 last January. – Bernama

19-21, 15-21 to China’s Guo Xin Wa Chen Fang Hui in 43 minutes at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium. Yesterday’s result marked the Malaysians’ first loss against Xin Wa Fang Hui in three meetings. Xin Wa-Fang Hui will take on reigning champions and compatriots Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping in the semifinals today.

the Thailand Open in May. They have reached four World Tour finals so far this season. Earlier, National mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei’s journey at the China Open 2025 in Changzhou ended in the quarterfinals yesterday. Tang Jie-Ee Wei failed to live up to their billing as the fourth seeds, losing

Gymnasium in Changzhou. Pearly-Thinaah, who were runners up in the Japan Open last week, will meet China’s world No. 8 Jia Yi Fan Zhang Shu Xian in the semifinal today. It was their fourth win over Fukushima-Matsumoto in five encounters. Pearly-Thinaah are eyeing their second title of the year after winning

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