Alexander Isak was not included in Newcastle United's squad for their Asia tour, and Liverpool are still considering signing the striker.
The Swedish international is not part of the Magpies' 30-man squad for their trip to Asia, where they will face Arsenal (in Singapore) followed by matches against the K League All-Stars and Tottenham (in South Korea). He previously missed Newcastle's 4-0 friendly defeat to Celtic last weekend due to a minor thigh injury.
But news of Isak not leaving has instead heightened speculation about his future, with Liverpool having long-held interest in the forward.
Although the Reds completed the initial transfer to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Arnaud Kalimuendo for £79 million on Wednesday, the club is still looking to further strengthen their attacking options, believing that Isak – who scored 27 goals in 42 appearances for Newcastle last season – can boost their firepower.
Liverpool are monitoring the 25-year-old's situation, but Newcastle have stated that they will not consider selling Isak unless they receive an offer of around £120 million, at which point the club will consider opening talks.
The Magpies have consistently insisted that Isak will not leave this summer transfer window, despite not yet reaching an agreement with the player over a new contract first proposed last year.
Following the signing of Kalimuendo, their summer transfer spending has exceeded £250 million.
