Newcastle start discussions to sign £50m “superstar”

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe faces a battle to keep several key players at St James’ Park beyond this summer.

Both Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon have been linked with moves to Liverpool in recent weeks. While Champions League football should be enough to keep the pair, if big offers are made, will Howe cash in?

Alexander Isak 2024-25 season in numbers (timeless)

One thing the manager must do is bolster his squad across several areas, especially if the aforementioned duo depart.

There have been plenty of rumours circling, but the newest name linked with a move to Newcastle could be the most exciting yet.

Newcastle enquire about signing new striker

Will he, won’t he? That very much feels like the situation regarding Isak at the moment. Often linked with a move to Arsenal, it now feels as though their title rivals, Liverpool are leading the chase.

Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal-2

Recent reports suggest that the Reds are preparing a bid of around £100m in order to try and tempt Newcastle into selling but that fee is unlikely to be enough given a £200m price tag.

Whether the Swede leaves or not, with Callum Wilson heading through the exit door, the Toon will need reinforcements in attack.

According to reports in Italy, several clubs are showing interest in PSG centre-forward Randal Kolo Muani.

The Frenchman spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus, who are keen to retain his services. Newcastle have reached out to make an enquiry about his availability, as have Manchester United and Chelsea.

If Howe is serious about bringing the player to Newcastle, he might need to splash the cash, with a reported asking price of £50m.

Could Kolo Muani turn into Isak 2.0 for Howe should he sign?

How Kolo Muani compares to Alexander Isak

Isak arrived in the northeast from the continent back in the summer of 2022 and has since racked up an impressive tally of 62 goals and 11 assists across 109 matches.

He offers much more than that, though. Last season in the Premier League, Isak created 11 big chances, averaged 1.1 key passes and succeeded with 1.2 dribbles per game for the Toon.

Alexander Isak’s PL stats for Newcastle
Metric	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25
Goals	10	21	23
Assists	1	2	6
Shots per game	2.3	2.6	2.9
Big chances created	2	5	11
Key passes per game	0.7	0.9	1.1
Via Sofascore

In contrast, Kolo Muani’s spell at PSG hasn’t lived up to expectations. A total of just 11 goals for the club is a poor return.

During his spell with Juventus, however, the French striker netted ten times. Like Isak, he also thrives when dropping slightly deeper, creating two big chances and averaging 1.1 key passes for the Old Lady.

The primary point of comparison is undoubtedly their wiry frames. Both slightly taller, they use their slim build to their advantage to race beyond defenders, successfully completing take-ons at a similar percentage (46.2% vs 43.1% in favour of Isak) and completing a similar number of dribbles (1.37 vs 1.48% in favour of Kolo Muani).

This style is rubberstamped by the Bundesliga website who previously compared the French star to Thierry Henry, someone who Isak coincidentally models his game on.

“Much like Kolo Muani, legendary France striker Henry started his career by impressing with his pace and trickery out wide before being repurposed as a centre-forward. Both players also clock in around the 6 foot 2 mark and cut very similar, rangy figures. Kolo Muani also has a languid dribbling style and immense turn of speed that were hallmarks of Henry’s game – especially at a young age.”

Also previously described as a “superstar” by German legend Lothar Matthäus, not only would he score goals under Howe, but the French starlet would assist in other ways, turning him into the next Isak for the manager.

Much will depend on whether the Swedish hitman remains in the northeast, and it would take an almighty bid to even consider selling him this summer.

Everyone has a price, however. Kolo Muani would certainly be an ideal replacement for the former Borussia Dortmund star, especially given their similar playing styles and skill sets.