NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Alexander Isak remains unavailable for selection for Newcastle heading into the start of the Premier League season amid ongoing uncertainty over the Sweden striker’s future at the club.

Isak was the subject of a bid from Liverpool during the offseason and has been training away from the Newcastle squad, having indicated he wanted to explore his options.

“Alex’s situation has been unchanged for a while,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said Friday, a day before the team’s league opener at Aston Villa, “and that will continue to be the case.”

Howe wouldn’t discuss whether he has asked Isak to play against Villa, saying those conversations needed to stay private.

He did say, however, that the offseason has been challenging given the absence of the team’s star strike

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