Newcastle reporter Luke Edwards posted a message to sort out Isaac's timeline for leaving this year, pointing out that the player's agent kept leaking secrets in this process, and suspected that Liverpool was instructing Isaac's team behind the scenes. On the eve of the League Cup final in March, Isaac told the media that he had everything he wanted in Newcastle, insisting that he had never considered leaving the club. However, according to people familiar with the matter, since winning the Newcastle League Cup, Isaac has become taciturn and withdrawn. He lacks concentration and does not give his all in training. Some people think that deep down he feels that his goals as a Newcastle player have been achieved.
In fact, some insiders pointed out that starting in April, Isaac was behaving and performing like a man who didn't want the team to advance to the Champions League because he knew it would make it harder for him to explain to Eddie Howe and fans why he wanted to leave. Against this backdrop, the Newcastle board of directors has also begun to consider Isaac's departure. They shouted more than £150 million to the outside world to tell potential buyers: the player is not a seller.
May
The Telegraph first received news at the end of May that Isaac was considering his future, and Eddie Howe later revealed that the player told him that he wanted to leave the team two weeks before the end of last season. However, Newcastle's board of directors did not want to sell him, and the coach never told Isaac that he could leave if the team signed a replacement. The board of directors also said that if Isaac is willing to stay for another year, he will receive a significant salary increase and the contract can be subject to liquidated damages.
June
The sudden resignation of athletic director Mitchell, who has always had a tense relationship with Eddie Howe, put Newcastle in chaos. Newcastle CEO Darren Eals fell ill, Eddie Howe lost the help of senior management, and a series of setbacks followed this summer. Although the pursuit of many players failed, Newcastle still hopes to find a striker who can compete with Isaac and play on the wing. Some senior executives believe that if someone offers a sky-high price for Isaac, they have to consider selling, considering the players' willingness to leave. On July 13, the Telegraph disclosed that Newcastle was interested in Ekitic. Two days later, the Isaac team took action, saying that Liverpool had contacted Newcastle and was willing to sign Isaac for 120 million pounds. If Ekitic joined Newcastle at the time, the latter's attitude towards Isaac might have softened, but the Telegraph confirmed that all Newcastle's actions were to keep him rather than sell him. Meanwhile, Newcastle coach Eddie Howe kept his distance from Isaac to protect his relationship with the players and handed over the communication task to the board of directors.
Isaac realized that his hope of leaving the team became slim and the situation escalated further. He then said he withdrew from the preseason due to injury, and the relationship between Newcastle senior executives and his agent became very tense, and even various threats emerged, including Isaac saying that he would refuse to play for the club if he could not transfer.
On the plane to Asia, Isaac revealed to the public that they hoped to leave the team. According to insiders in Newcastle, the move was intended to cause the greatest damage, and senior executives, including head coach Eddie Howe, were angry about it and held an emergency meeting and telephone negotiations during the turn.
Newcastle was mixed up and down with chaos and anger, and suspected that Liverpool had been secretly manipulating all summer, encouraging Isaac's agents to create this situation in order to sign Isaac for a lower price. Eddie Howe is still friends with Liverpool Sports Director Richard Hughes, but he refuses to contact him. No one in Newcastle expected Isaac to behave like this, and some people began to think about whether it would be better to sell the player. Afterwards, Isaac had not yet flown to his old Spanish club Real Sociedad to train without permission. After Isaac returned to the UK in August, Eddie Howe met with him and tried to ease the situation, but the player stated that he would not play for Newcastle again and insisted that the club let him transfer. Liverpool finally formally expressed interest in Isaac and made the first offer worth £110 million, which was quickly and firmly rejected. Liverpool immediately withdrew their offer, saying they would not offer again unless they received a positive response from Newcastle.
Eddie Howe tried to communicate with Isaac again, urging him to return before the season's first match was also rejected, and despite this, Newcastle bosses still believe Isaac can reintegrate with the team. But as time goes by, Isaac makes a final attempt, trying to force the club to sell him. The player issued an explosion statement on social media accusing Newcastle of breaking his promises.
Newcastle senior executives were furious about this and their stance became tough again, denying any promises to let Isaac leave the team. In the last week of the transfer window, the club owners visited in person, but still failed to convince Isaac to change his mind. The players' behavior and attitude shocked some members of Newcastle senior management, who began to think that staying him might do more harm than good.
At the same time, Newcastle also stepped up its search for a new striker, and finally signed Walter Mad for a club record of 69 million pounds. Since Isaac's actions have seriously damaged his reputation and angered Newcastle fans, the PIF believes that as long as Liverpool is willing to pay 130 million pounds, players can be sold. Ultimately, the two sides reached a transfer agreement for £128 million at 10:50 p.m. on Sunday after Isaac agreed to give up his loyalty bonus of £2 million.