Man Utd make Alexander Isak decision as Newcastle star signals intent to leave

Alexander Isak has told Newcastle he wants out of St James' Park - but Manchester United will not be making a move for the Swedish striker

Manchester United have ruled out a move for Alexander Isak – despite the striker's desire to leave Newcastle.

Isak has been left out of Newcastle's squad for their pre-season tour of Singapore and South Korea after informing the club of his desire to move this summer.

United need a striker and Sweden international Isak would be the ideal fit for Ruben Amorim's side, but Newcastle's £150million valuation has priced them out a move for him.

Liverpool retain an interest in Isak, despite having had an initial approach rebuffed by Newcastle and even though they have signed Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69m.

Europe's top clubs have been aware for several weeks of 25-year-old Isak's desire to leave Newcastle and take his career to a new level elsewhere.

Isak has scored 62 goals from 109 games for Newcastle and become one of the most sought-after strikers in world football since joining from Real Sociedad for £63m in 2022.

But United cannot afford Newcastle's asking price, particularly having already spent £133.5m on signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford.

The same is true of Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson and RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sekso, whose asking price – both are valued at around £70m – has ruled United out of the running for them.

Marcus Rashford's season-long loan move to Barcelona has opened up some headroom for United, with the Spanish club covering his wages in full, a figure totalling around £12m.

But United remain bound by Profit and Sustainability Rules [PSR], which have restricted their ability to spend feely and whose boundaries they are determined to remain within.

Senior figures at United have not ruled out further signings in advance of sales, but the immediate focus is on shipping players out to raise revenue for new arrivals.

Rashford's exit to Barca was the start of that process, with United now looking to offload Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrrell Malacia.

Chelsea retain an interest in signing winger Garnacho, who wants to move to Stamford Bridge, which opens up scope for a potential swap deal involving Jackson.

Juventus could move for Sancho, while Antony could join Real Betis – where he spent the second half of last season on loan – and has also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid.