Spurs striker Richarlison does not hold back after Newcastle transfer claim

Richarlison has described claims that he was included in a cash-plus-player offer for Newcastle United star Alexander Isak as 'fake'.

Isak has been linked with both Spurs and Chelsea this week, but Newcastle have no plans to sell their record signing, who still has four years left to run on his current deal. Isak, for his part, has repeatedly stressed that he is happy at St James' Park and the Sweden international could not have been any clearer last month when he said he 'did not want to entertain these types of questions and rumours'.

That has not quelled the speculation elsewhere, however. Reports in Italy suggested that Newcastle had rejected a cash-plus-player offer from Spurs for Isak, which would have seen Richarlison move the other way. Richarlison, who scored twice against Newcastle last season, felt moved to respond on Instagram and simply commented: "Fake."

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Newcastle are planning for next season with Isak in the side and losing their star striker would set the club back considerably given the rebuild that would be required. While there will be departures this summer, holding onto prized assets like Isak feels important for Eddie Howe's team to prove they can continue to match the 24-year-old's ambitions - even with financial restrictions.

"When you're in the position that he's in and he's scoring goals, you get used to people talking about you and possibly creating rumours that maybe are true, aren't true, I've got no idea," the Newcastle boss added last month. "For us, we're just focusing on our future with Alex. We're focusing on trying to build our team with him in it.

"We signed him knowing he was young and he wanted to develop his talents and give him an opportunity to showcase what he could do. For me, that was a long-term thing that we started with him, a long-term journey hopefully.

"I've just seen him flourish this year. He's enjoyed the environment. He's enjoyed the team that he's played in and hopefully he does that for many years to come."