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News
- 25 minutes ago
Alexander Isak to Liverpool: Can Newcastle striker use little-known FIFA rule to force transfer?
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 22 Aug 2025 14:35 BST
- 5 min read
Analysis
Alexander Isak’s transfer to Liverpool remains firmly parked, with the arm wrestle between the striker and Newcastle United ongoing.
Isak revealed in July that he wants to explore other possibilities while Newcastle are insistent that they will not allow him to depart.
The 25-year-old Sweden striker has gone on strike and finds himself on the periphery of things at St James’ Park, stepping the battle up a notch this week when he took to social media to rant that he had been promised a move away.
Current ETV
Alexander Isak
F (C)
Newcastle
Alexander Isak
F (C)
Newcastle
ETV Range
€105.4M - €128.8M
Newcastle’s response was firm: there was no such promise made, but Isak would be welcomed back into the squad if he backs down.
"My wish is he would be playing on Monday night with us, but he won't be and that's regrettable," Newcastle boss Eddie Howe reaffirmed on Friday. "But I want to 100 per cent see him in a Newcastle shirt."
The former Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad No.9 appears to have no intention of returning, though. He remains as distant as ever.
It has been suggested that Isak could use Article 17 to force through a move, but is it possible?
What is Article 17?
Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) deals with contractual stability.
What this means is that it allows a player to unilaterally terminate their contract with a club.
However, compensation must be paid to the club based upon numerous factors, including the remaining value of the contract, transfer fees paid and other factors, such as how much a player may cost to replace.
Players are not allowed to walk away at any time. This is known as a protected period, which varies depending on the age of the player.
- First three years of a contract if the player signed before age 28.
- First two years if the player signed age 28 or older.
Anyone breaching these regulations could be handed an extended playing ban.
Can Isak use Article 17 to join Liverpool?
Isak could use Article 17 to leave Newcastle and join Liverpool – but not this summer.
The striker is outside the protected period of his contract, which he signed in 2022, meaning that he could in theory terminate his deal with the Magpies.
But there’s a catch. Article 17 indicates that termination of a contract has to come within 15 days of the last competitive match of the season. That means he would have to have given Newcastle notice in May that he intended to use it.
Practically, it would also be complicated for Isak to invoke Article 17 because the buy-out cost in his case would be enormous.
He would likely have to pay his remaining salary and any remaining unamortised portion of his initial transfer fee. This would be an enormous figure.
Isak could theoretically use Article 17 to leave Newcastle for Liverpool next summer, but the financial implications of it make it impractical for the Swede to use it in his case.
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