As the new Premier League season draws closer, the uncertainty over Alexander Isak's future has intensified.
Newcastle begin their campaign away to Aston Villa on 16 August but they appear far from ready with just one player - Anthony Elanga - signed this summer and their talismanic striker seemingly determined to leave the club.
With his team-mates away on a pre-season tour in Asia, Isak has been training at his old club Real Sociedad as he recovers from a "minor thigh injury".
Should he leave, Newcastle will rightly be expecting a significant fee for a player who has scored more than 20 Premier League goals in each of the last two seasons.