Nick Woltemade joins Newcastle: Stuttgart striker signs in club-record £69m deal to increase chances of Alexander Isak exit

Newcastle have signed Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade in a club-record deal of £69m which opens the door for Liverpool to make a British-record bid for Alexander Isak.

The Magpies have agreed to pay £64.86m (€75m) plus £4.3m (€5m) in add-ons for the Stuttgart forward, taking the total package just north of £69m and surpassing the £63m they paid for Isak three years ago.

Woltemade's arrival increases the likelihood of Isak leaving for Liverpool with less than three days left of the transfer window.

Newcastle have maintained that Isak would only be sold if an adequate replacement was found. However, they will attempt to bring in a second striker before listening to offers from Liverpool.

Liverpool had a £110m plus add-ons bid for Isak rejected earlier in the summer so will have to increase their offer to reach an agreement with Newcastle. Isak is adamant he will not play for his current club again and is yet to feature this season.

Newcastle have landed Woltemade ahead of Bayern Munich, who had multiple offers rejected for the forward this summer after he scored 17 goals in 33 appearances for Stuttgart.

'Newcastle have big plans for me'

Woltemade says Newcastle have "big plans" for him.

"I'm really happy to be at this amazing club. From the first contact, I felt like the club really wanted me and had big plans for me," he said.

"It's a big step in my life to leave Germany but everybody has welcomed me so well and it already feels like family. I have a really good feeling from speaking to the head coach that this is the right place for me to find my best level.

"I know the stadium from watching games on television - it looks amazing and I know the atmosphere is crazy. I'm really excited to play and start scoring goals here."

'Unconventional' Woltemade more than a target man

Analysis from Sky Sports' Adam Bate:

It was only a matter of days ago that Germany was abuzz with talk of Nick Woltemade making a move to Bayern Munich. On a recent visit to Stuttgart for the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against the Bundesliga champions, it was Woltemade - not Harry Kane or Luiz Diaz - who was in the spotlight.

Speaking to a host of legendary Bundesliga figures about the 23-year-old forward on that trip, the word that kept coming up was 'unconventional'. Woltemade is 6ft 6in tall but is not a typical target man, preferring to roam into wide areas and drop deep.

He is even a dribbler, capable of beating opponents with his surprisingly nifty footwork. Cacau, the Brazilian-born Germany international whose goals fired Stuttgart to the Bundesliga title in 2006-07, was particularly fulsome in his praise for Woltemade and his importance to the team.

"He is an amazing player," Cacau told Sky Sports. "He can score goals but he can also give assists. And he is a perfect player for Stuttgart, the perfect No 9. He plays very unconventionally because he is tall but he is also technical. Very, very good."

It is apparent that Newcastle are looking for a physical No 9 who is capable of leading the line. They have wingers who can provide service for such a player. But they want someone who can bring those wingers into play too. Woltemade fits the bill.

What did Howe and Slot say about Isak on Friday?

Both Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and Liverpool head coach Arne Slot were asked about Isak and a potential switch for the striker in their pre-match press conferences on Friday.

Asked if Isak would stay at Newcastle, Howe said: "It's difficult for me to give you any clarity. I don't know what the future holds in that respect because I'm not dealing with it myself.

"I've got no update from what I spoke about the other day. I'm concentrating on trying to bring players to the club."

Slot was equally coy, saying: "If it's true, Newcastle have signed a new No 9 and that's very nice for Eddie because Anthony Gordon is suspended and Isak has not been training.

"As always, we try to sign players who can help us. There's no reason, after the first two games, to complain, to think we need more. But if we can strengthen the squad, we will try to do that if it's for the right money and the right player.

"Let's see if we do something and if we can, what we can do."

Who could Newcastle's second striker be?

Newcastle are still trying to sign Yoane Wissa, who has not played for Brentford in the current campaign amid the Magpies' interest. Newcastle have had two bids turned down by the Bees for the striker.

However, Howe's side are unlikely to continue pursuing Jorgen Strand Larsen given his similarities to the 6ft 6in Woltemade. Newcastle also had two offers rejected for the Wolves striker.

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