Chelsea is not willing to pay a fair price for Alexander Isak

Chelsea have officially withdrawn from the race for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, apparently due to the club’s “inability” to meet the Magpies’ demand of over £100 million for one of the Premier League’s best living goalscorers.

According to sources who spoke to The Sun, Chelsea’s new manager Enzo Maresca and the club’s management were unwilling to pay Newcastle’s price tag, which is likely to be closer to £120 million given current market conditions.

Despite talks with the Swedish international, Chelsea’s efforts to sign Isak have been hampered by financial constraints, with the Blues reportedly set to turn to other (most likely not cheaper or obviously inferior) options.

Newcastle were particularly cautious in this move, however, as the Magpies suspected that Chelsea, given the PSR deadline and the need to raise money through sales, might try to exploit their financial situation to secure Isak at a reduced price.

What seems to be true is that Chelsea struggled to meet Isak’s wage demands because they would have wanted to sign the Swedish striker with a low bid. Isak, who currently earns around £120,000 a week, would have needed a significant increase to around £200,000 a week to make a move to Stamford Bridge possible, which doesn’t seem outrageous at all given his performances on the pitch.

In the end, all these fictitious financial hurdles proved too big for Chelsea to overcome, if they are to be believed…

The consequences of Chelsea’s withdrawal are not limited to the London club, however, as Newcastle could have considered selling Isak to fund other transfers, including a potential move for Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Everton, and most importantly, to ignore any potential breach of the PSR restrictions.

Chelsea are no longer in the running and Isak’s hefty transfer fee is no longer an issue. Newcastle’s plans are now in flux and there are only hours left to work out a solution.

For Eddie Howe, Calvert-Lewin is still a key target should Isak leave and probably if he stays, but without the funds from an Isak sale, it is unlikely Newcastle will aggressively pursue Calvert-Lewin at least before the June 30 deadline.

Everton, facing financial difficulties and PSR deadlines of their own, had hoped to sell Calvert-Lewin to ease their financial burden. The collapse of the Isak deal also puts Everton in a precarious position, perhaps even worse as they are also unable to receive the expected transfer funds from Newcastle.

Chelsea’s decision to withdraw from the race for Isak could make it difficult for Newcastle to balance its books with the football year just two days to go until the end on Sunday 30 June.