Alexander Isak is “desperate” to join Liverpool after informing Newcastle of his desire to leave, with his current club now ready for a first formal offer.Isak has not joined the Newcastle squad in South Korea ahead of their friendlies against the K-League All Stars and Tottenham.This is despite scans on the striker’s thigh reporting no issues, with the main reason for his absence being those efforts to leave the club for Liverpool.In an update on YouTube, the Mail‘s Lewis Steele described Isak as “desperate” to join the Premier League champions, who are now preparing a formal bid.Steele expects that first offer to land either this week or next, with it likely that the process will be expedited once Luis Diaz completes his €75 million (£65.6m) move to Bayern Munich.Diaz will undergo his medical in Munich on Tuesday before signing a four-year contract, with the two clubs then set to announce their agreement.While Liverpool do not expressly need those funds in order to execute the signing of Isak – who has been projected as being worth anywhere between £120 million and £150 million – it would certainly help the situation.Newcastle are “ready for that first bid to come” but it remains to be seen exactly how it will be received.Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday to preview Newcastle‘s meeting with the K-League All Stars, manager Eddie Howe said that no offer had landed as of yet and admitted Isak’s future is “not in his full control.”“He is still our player. He’s contracted to us,” he told reporters per Sky Sports.“We, to a degree, control what is next for him. I would love to believe all possibilities are still available to us.“My wish is that he stays, but that’s not in my full control.“We have not received a formal offer for Alex, from any club. My wish is that he stays and we see him playing again next year.” While Liverpool’s interest in Isak is longstanding and contact was first made with Newcastle a fortnight ago, it could be a transfer that takes a long time to complete.That was the case with Florian Wirtz‘s £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the summer, and any deal for Isak would comfortably break that British transfer record again.But Liverpool will be encouraged by the Swede’s urgency to join and that could smooth the process as they are unlikely to face competition for his signature.Arne Slot and his players are currently in Japan ahead of their friendly against Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday, but the Liverpool group will fly back to Merseyside shortly after that game.