Newcastle United's owners will not leave the Premier League club without a recognised striker if the protracted transfer saga involving Alexander Isak ends in the Swede's exit, manager Eddie Howe said ahead of a league meeting with Liverpool.
Isak was the subject of a 110-million-pound ($149 million) bid from Liverpool earlier this month, according to media reports, and in a social media post on Tuesday, the strikeraccused Newcastle of breaking promises.
Newcastle responded by saying there had been no commitment to sell the 25-year-old, who is under contract until 2028.
The club have been linked with a number of strikers in the transfer window but none of the moves have materialised, and with Callum Wilson having also left, Isak's departure could leave them with 22-year-old William Osula as their only striker.
"I don't think the club will allow that situation to happen. We certainly can't go through the season with no recognised striker at the football club," Howe told reporters.
"And that's no disrespect to Will Osula. I think he's doing really well and he’s progressing really well, but he's got limited experience in the Premier League, although I'm really happy with his career progression.
"But Alex at the moment would be the only striker we have with Premier League history of goals and appearances and starts, so we can't leave ourselves in that position."
Newcastle host champions Liverpool in a Premier League clash on Monday.