Liverpool willing to make second offer for Alexander Isak on one condition after seeing initial bid rejected

According to Mail Sport, Liverpool may return with a second bid for Isak, but only if Newcastle make steps towards signing a replacement first. The Reds do not want to waste their time making a second offer while the Magpies wait for a response from striker targets, most notably Benjamin Sesko - for whom a £70million ($92m) offer has reportedly been lodged - with other options including Yoane Wissa and Ollie Watkins.

Liverpool saw an £120m ($159m) offer rebuffed on Friday and would like the Magpies to find more clarity on their own stance before any further progress is made on a move for Isak. Previous reports stated that the Reds may walk away from negotiations entirely, though this may not yet be the case.

After a difficult summer in which several high-profile targets have declined a move to St James' Park, Newcastle and manager Eddie Howe are unlikely to sanction an exit for their prized asset without assurances that a worthy replacement is on the way.

Howe said on the latest developments surrounding Isak: "I know where he is, really, through the media. From that perspective, it's difficult for me to go into any kind of detail. The situation is far from ideal and is quite complex.

"I was made aware of a bid yesterday [Friday] and that bid was turned down, all before I'd even heard about it. People back in England are dealing with the situation. I don't know what happens next. From our perspective, we still support Alex in every way and my wish is that we see him in a Newcastle shirt again.

"It's difficult, because you don't know what is going to happen from this point. We can only deal with the reality. The reality is we had a first bid from Liverpool and I believe that was turned down. From this point onwards, let's see what happens. In terms of trying to upset players and all that kind of stuff, from my perspective, we can only talk about our conduct. We try to do things in the right way. Signing players is always complex. We just try to do what we think is right. I can't talk about other clubs, that's not for me to say."

The complexity of this situation likely means that it will drag on for the remainder of the summer transfer window, which shuts on September 1. Newcastle will hope to receive a response from Sesko soon, with the belief that the Slovenian must choose between the Toon and Manchester United. If he opts for the latter, the Magpies must move on to other targets. Otherwise, they may opt to prevent any exit for Isak this summer.