Sweden call up Isak despite his standoff with Newcastle

Sweden have called up for next month’s World Cup qualifiers despite the striker’s standoff with his Premier League club Newcastle United.

Alexander Isak missed Newcastle’s pre-season tour and was left to train alone after he tried to force a transfer, a situation his manager Eddie Howe described as “lose-lose”.

“First and foremost, it is not an ideal situation. Ideally, the player should have been training and playing with the club team,” Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson said on Wednesday.

Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres has also been called up, but Tottenham Hotspur’s Dejan Kulusevski will miss out through injury and captain Victor Lindelof is unavailable after leaving Manchester United and not having joined another club.

“Victor (Lindelof) is an important player for us, but right now he doesn’t have a club and hasn’t trained collectively,” Tomasson said.

Sweden play away games against Slovenia on September 5 and Kosovo three days later.

Earlier, As the transfer window deadline day is fast approaching, it looks like Liverpool are reportedly making a one last attempt to sign Alexander Isak this summer for Newcastle United.

The development of the most discussed transfer this summer was confirmed by renowned football journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 25-year-old fears that Newcastle will not be able to match his trophy-winning ambitions as he tries to move away from the club this summer.

Isak has also accused Newcastle of ‘broken promises’ and ‘misleading fans’.

Liverpool had offered a six-year deal to Isak, which was reportedly worth £110million plus add-ons, but this was swiftly rejected by Newcastle.