Newcastle insiders have allegedly made a startling new accusation about Alexander Isak, threatening to damage his reputation beyond repair. The Swedish striker became the Premier League’s most expensive signing on deadline day, finalising his highly-anticipated £125 million switch to champions Liverpool on Monday evening.

The nature of his exit has drawn major criticism, with the 25-year-old refusing to train, releasing a public statement slamming Newcastle’s hierarchy for ‘broken promises’, and failing to acknowledge supporters. Ultimately, his only focus was achieving his dream transfer – a similar scenario to Yoane Wissa, signed as his replacement, though Marc Guehi, a model professional, missed out on a Liverpool move out of respect for Palace.

But if his relationship with the Magpies was already fractured, fresh reports about Isak’s conduct towards the end of the 2024/25 campaign – when Newcastle had to dig deep to clinch Champions League qualification – risk making an already tense situation even more explosive.

Luke Edwards of The Telegraph has been at the centre of the transfer saga all summer. From the beginning, he presented himself as the authority on the situation, stating the striker was not available and Liverpool had no realistic chance. Yet once Newcastle relented and sold for £25 million under their valuation, his latest revelation has opened another storm.

According to Edwards, who published on X and in an article recounting events since May, insiders accused Isak of “playing and behaving like someone who didn’t want the team to reach the Champions League, knowing it would weaken his case to leave Howe and the fans.” He wrote the following in his report:

“Sources claim Isak’s behaviour shifted again after the Wembley triumph. He grew quiet and distant; unfocused and lacking intensity in training. Having netted the winning goal against Liverpool at Wembley and joined the trophy parade, some felt Isak privately believed he had achieved all he wanted at Newcastle.”

He continued: “It was under that scenario that Newcastle’s hierarchy began weighing options if Isak forced an exit. They prepared for bids and unsettling tactics. Setting an asking price above £150m was the initial safeguard, essentially signalling to interested clubs that he was unavailable.”

Edwards’ claims have split opinion sharply. Many Liverpool fans criticised the journalist for relaying information implying Isak downed tools, while Newcastle supporters’ anger at the forward has only escalated.

Some fan accounts even compiled a reel of his missed chances from May onwards, by which time he had struck the decisive League Cup final goal and allegedly decided on his departure. Fellow reporters, such as Craig Hope of the Daily Mail, have backed Edwards’ account.

Now that Isak is at Anfield, the most dramatic transfer story of the summer – eclipsing even Trent Alexander-Arnold’s switch to Real Madrid – is finally resolved, though the fallout could drag on for weeks as further details emerge about how and why matters reached this stage.