Liverpool's offer of €140 million for Newcastle United's Alexander Isak has been turned down - according to a recent report.
In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has challenged FIFA's established transfer rules, potentially transforming the transfer landscape in European football. This decision could have significant implications for players like Alexander Isak, currently under contract with Newcastle United.
Isak, a 25-year-old striker from Sweden, has been one of the hottest properties in world football, scoring 23 Premier League goals last season. However, he is currently sidelined due to a minor thigh injury, preventing him from joining Newcastle's ongoing pre-season tour in Asia.
Rumours of Isak's potential move away from St. James' Park have been circulating, with Liverpool reportedly making a bid for him, though Newcastle have rejected a £120m offer. The ECJ's ruling in the Lassana Diarra case may impact these negotiations, as it undermines FIFA's control over player transfers and contract terminations within the EU.
The ruling has major implications for FIFA’s transfer system, similar in significance to the landmark Bosman ruling of 1995 that abolished transfer fees for out-of-contract players in Europe. Following the ruling, FIFA now faces a large class-action lawsuit, primarily filed in the Netherlands, seeking compensation for as many as 100,000 affected players who allegedly lost an estimated 8% of their potential career earnings due to these unlawful regulations.
The lawsuit challenges FIFA’s “extremely restrictive ‘no-poaching agreement’” that effectively controlled how and under what conditions players could leave clubs, impeding contractual freedom and competition. The ECJ decision also impacts how FIFA-related legal rulings can be challenged, potentially reducing FIFA's centralized legal control in dispute resolutions and further opening the system to national courts within the EU.
Applied to current players like Alexander Isak, the ruling may lead to increased contractual freedom, fewer transfer restrictions, and potentially lower costs or complications in changing clubs within Europe. This could reshape transfer negotiations, player mobility, and financial dynamics between players and clubs across the European football market.
However, it's worth noting that no formal offer has been received for Isak from any club, according to Eddie Howe, the head coach of Newcastle. Eddie Howe has expressed his desire for Isak to stay at Newcastle but acknowledged that the decision is not entirely in his control. Recent reports suggest that Isak wants to move now, and Newcastle have proposed a new deal containing a get-out clause for next summer.
As of now, Isak is training at his old club Real Sociedad, away from the current Real squad and with his own trainers. Neither Newcastle nor Liverpool have commented publicly on the matter. Jean-Louis Dupont, the lawyer who led Diarra's case, believes the ruling removes the threat of a ban for players who terminate their deals but states that FIFA is still resisting on that point.
It's unclear how the compensation owed to a player's former club in the case of the player terminating the contract without just cause will be determined. According to FIFPRO, the compensation would not be based on transfer value or fees, but on the residual value of the contract.
As the football world watches the developments unfold, one thing is certain: the ECJ ruling has the potential to fundamentally reshape the transfer market, with far-reaching implications for players, clubs, and football governance across Europe.
Alexander Isak, with his impressive record of 23 Premier League goals last season, might find increased contractual freedom and fewer transfer restrictions due to the ECJ's ruling, which could potentially reshape transfer negotiations and financial dynamics in European football. This potential change in regulations might also provide opportunities for him to renegotiate his contract or even consider moves to clubs like Liverpool, if the rumors of their interest are true.
