It's one thing for Alexander Isak to want to leave Newcastle United, but it's another to figure out who can afford him.
Newcastle United wants any serious transfer fee negotiations to start at an incredible £150 million. In other words, this would make Isak the third most expensive footballer in history, behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, whom Paris Saint-Germain bought in previous years.
The pool of potential suitors appears limited. Even ignoring footballing factors, the financial implications involved are enormous, which is clearly the real obstacle to any move for Isak.
Adding in some estimated agent fees, plus a 4% transfer tax if the buyer is a Premier League club, purchasing Isak for £150 million effectively becomes a £171 million transfer fee.
From the perspective of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), if the contract is for five years, these fees alone would increase the club's annual cost by £33 million to £35 million.
Additionally, there is Isak's salary. His specific demands are unclear, but given his status as a world-class player, a salary of £250,000 to £300,000 per week is not unreasonable. At this level, the club's annual salary expenditure would reach £15 million to £18 million.
In reality, signing Isak would cost the new club £50 million per year, which is completely understandable – and that's just from an accounting perspective. It's often forgotten that clubs ultimately need to pay this in cash, and over our hypothetical five-year contract, Isak could cost new suitors over £250 million.
