Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes releases statement after Alexander Isak pulls out of their pre-season tour

Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes has reacted to the recent storm involving teammate Alexander Isak after he told the club he wishes to leave.

Isak, who scored 27 goals in all competitions last season, has been the subject of strong interest from Liverpool and Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

After making an approach, it looked like Liverpool had cooled interest in Isak when they stole a march on Newcastle to draft in Hugo Ekitike for £79 million.

But reports emerged that Isak had informed his employers that he wishes the explore his options for a move away this summer.

The Swede's £150,000-a-week contract runs until 2028 but Isak appears intent on a fresh challenge away from St James' Park.

Isak has not been included in Newcastle's squad. Image: Getty

Amid the speculation, Isak has been left out of Newcastle's 30-man squad for their tour of Asia, where they will face Arsenal and Spurs either side of a clash with a K-League XI.

The messaging from Newcastle is that Isak has been deal with a minor injury issue, which has been backed up by skipper Guimaraes in a new interview.

"For what we know, Isak's been injured and has not been training for five days," the Brazilian told Sky Sports News.

"He's stayed there to make himself better. He has a small injury. Of course he is a top player, we know everything is going around him but what we know is he's staying there to do some physical."

Alexander Isak wants to leave Newcastle. Image: Getty

Meanwhile, Dan Burn also addressed the situation involving Newcastle's talisman, adding: "I think if we lost any player it would upset the tight-knit group that's been together for two, three years. Any player that leaves it doesn't help, from our point of view we just need to control what we can control. At the moment we're looking forward to getting Alex back when he's fit."

Manager Eddie Howe has already confirmed that he sent Isak home from their friendly with Celtic "due to the speculation" but said he was "confident" he would remain a Newcastle player as he stressed the club are "desperate" to keep him.

At the same time Howe admitted he "respects" how short a player's career is and acknowledged there would be "noise" around the striker.

That being said, Fabrizio Romano claims Newcastle are re-assessing the situation and have began looking at a potential replacement for Isak - with RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko a top target.

Isak joined the Magpies for a club-record £63 million in 2022 and has scored 62 goals, helping the club to a long-awaited Carabao Cup win last season.