Newcastle make move for former Everton striker as Alexander Isak replacement

03/25/2025 04:10 PM

Newcastle have held talks over a summer move for Fiorentina striker Moise Kean as they make plans for life without Alexander Isak.

Isak has cemented his place as one of the best strikers in the world thanks to his fine form for the Magpies.

The 25-year-old has scored 19 Premier League goals this season, taking his tally to 50 in just 77 appearances in the English top flight.

Unsurprisingly there has been interest from elsewhere, with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona all linked with a move for the Sweden international.

Newcastle want to keep hold of him, but Isak could have his head turned by Champions League clubs and the Magpies may be tempted into a sale if an offer close to the £100m mark comes in.

Although it is not a guarantee that Isak will depart in the summer, Newcastle are making plans for his potential departure.

Italian publication CalcioMercato.com report that there have been initial talks between Newcastle and Moise Kean’s agent over a possible deal in the next transfer window.

The former Everton striker joined Fiorentina last year and has been enjoying a fine season, scoring 15 goals in 26 Serie A outings and four more in seven UEFA Conference League appearances.

The 25-year-old has also been in action for Italy over the current international break and scored twice in a 3-3 draw with Germany on Sunday.

This is the best season of Kean’s career, which has not been that consistent before this campaign, but such has been his form that Newcastle think he could be the man to replace Isak if needs be.

Selling the Swede and buying the Italian would also represent significant profit for the Magpies as Kean has a release clause worth just €52m (£43.4m) which is active this summer.

Newcastle would still have to come to an agreement with Kean to get the deal done, but they know the transfer fee he will be available for, with the release clause reportedly active from July 1-15.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has made it clear that he wants Isak – and his other star performers – to stay.

'We have to try and keep our best players,' Howe said last month. 'That's crucial to our short-term success and our long-term success, so sitting here as the manager of the football club, I'd be saying we need to keep the group together and we need to add the other way.

'We haven't added in a long time in various transfer windows for the reasons we've all discussed.

'But we need to move the team forward and we can't lose our best players. I love working with Alex and I wouldn't swap him for anyone. We've got a good relationship and he's got a good relationship with his teammates. We've tried to help him by moulding our style of play to suit his game.'

Isak told Fotbollskanalen.se of his own future: 'From within the club and from our side there are absolutely no discussions. It's just full focus on playing for me.

'There is a lot of writing outside but within the club no one is talking about anything like that. I just want to perform for Newcastle. Now we won the cup, but we want to finish strong and reach the Champions League games. It's pretty normal, pretty much the same as it was before. I do my best to relax and live as usual. But it's clear that it's hard to avoid everything that is written on social media.'