Alan Shearer tells Newcastle to suck it up as Jorgen Strand Larsen transfer 'goes up £10m'

Alan Shearer has acknowledged that Newcastle United will have no choice but to pay inflated fees for a striker. The Magpies have conducted a prolonged search for a new centre-forward and have turned their attention to Wolves star Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Newcastle saw an initial £50million bid and a second £55m proposal knocked back by Wolves, though talks are believed to be continuing between the two clubs. The Magpies' opening bids are already more than twice the £23m that Wolves shelled out to secure the forward's permanent switch from Celta Vigo this summer.

The 25-year-old netted 14 league goals as he helped Vitor Pereira's side steer clear of the drop last season, establishing him as a prized commodity for Wolves. Shearer has explained that Newcastle's desperation for a new striker, coupled with Alexander Isak's uncertain future, means that the club will be expected to cough up premium prices for any of their targets.

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When quizzed about Larsen's valuation by Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer joked: "It's just gone up another £10million after [Anthony] Gordon missing the next three games with suspension as well.

"I haven't seen a great amount of him but I obviously saw him last season. That's a lot of money. But unfortunately, the situation Newcastle are in, they're going to get stung, whoever they go in for."

The Chronicle report that Larsen is regarded as a replacement for Callum Wilson, who departed for West Ham United following the expiry of his Newcastle deal. This indicates that should Isak be offloaded, resources could be freed up to secure another attacker towards the end of the transfer window.

Newcastle have been unable to call upon Isak for their opening fixtures after the striker made clear his wish to depart the club and was the subject of a failed bid from Liverpool. He recently aired his thoughts on social media and has been working separately from the squad since July.

Despite his absence from competitive action, Isak has been included in Sweden's squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers. Meanwhile, Larsen demonstrated his instincts by netting twice late on in Wolves' 3-2 triumph over West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has deployed Gordon as an improvised striker in the side's opening two league games, with young forward Will Osula finding the net as a substitute against Liverpool on Monday. However, Gordon's dismissal in that match means Howe may be forced to start Osula this weekend, with Shearer sharing his assessment of the 22-year-old.

"I think he's very raw," he said. "He's still learning, still sort of getting used to the pace and what have you, but I think because of the situation now with Anthony Gordon missing three games, he's probably going to have to play or start on Saturday against Leeds. That will be a good opportunity for him.

"Still plenty to learn but you can't ever fault his attitude. I think he'll give as good as he's got and he'll make it difficult for defenders, but still got work to do."

Wolves striker Larsen is reportedly keen on a move to St James' Park, but their manager Pereira doesn't anticipate the forward pushing for a transfer. "Until now, Jorgen is our player, and we'll see what happens," Pereira said after his team's win over West Ham.

"Football is football - every player has a price, I believe. Even [Lionel] Messi, or Cristiano [Ronaldo]. But he is very, very important for us. We'll see what happens.

"I know him very well. He will never, never force [a move]. There are players I have known in this situation, and they just ask me not to play. But Larsen wants to play every time."

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