John Arne Riise has been talking about a potential Alexander Sorloth move to Newcastle United.
The 30-year-old now having exited the World Cup with Norway, as Dan Burn and England progressed on Saturday.
Alexander Sorloth is currently at Atletico Madrid but not an automatic starter, last (2025/26) season he started 20 La Liga matches and came off the bench in another 15, scoring 13 goals in the league.
The previous (2024/25) La Liga season, Sorloth started 15 league matches and off the bench in another 20, scoring 20 goals.
Alexander Sorloth was one of a number of players who impressed for Norway at this 2026 World Cup. Due to Erling Haaland’s presence, the Atletico Madrid 6ft 5 striker usually plays right wing for his country and he started five of Norway’s six games. The only one he missed was when Norway rested 10 of their 11 first choice players for the group game against France.
John Arne Riise now sees Newcastle United as the ideal destination for Alexander Sorloth with the Premier League season now less than six weeks away.
John Arne Riise saying to BestBettingSites about his fellow Norwegian: “I think Alexander Sorloth would be a great signing for Newcastle United. I do think he needs to leave Atletico Madrid. It’s tough for him there. Obviously, for Norway, he plays on the right wing because Erling Haaland is chosen through the middle, but he’s powerful, he’s a goalscorer, and he’s quick. I think English football suits him very well. I really hope Sorloth goes to an English club, and Newcastle United would be perfect.”
I think clearly Alexander Sorloth would interest many clubs if he is to move this summer. His goalscoring record at Atletico Madrid is very good when getting on the pitch.
The idea though of Newcastle United paying a sizeable transfer fee and big wages for a 30-year-old, it would be a massive surprise considering what we have seen so far from NUFC in this transfer window. The focus very much on trying to sign emerging young target from the continent. Atletico Madrid paid almost £30m when signing Alexander Sorloth from Villarreal two years ago, interesting to see what the La Liga club would want for him now, if they were up for selling him.
It has been an interesting career for Alexander Sorloth. He has been a constant for Norway, scoring 26 goals in 77 appearances.
At club level though he’s had an up and down career. After impressing in Denmark with Midtjylland, at the age of 22 the striker was signed for a then sizeable £9m by Crystal Palace but had a nightmare time and struggled for chances, in the end not scoring a single Premier League goal.
Loans at Gent and Trabzonspor followed and when playing in Turkey, it was claimed in February 2020 that Newcastle United were interested in signing him.
Scoring 24 goals in 34 matches on loan at Trabzonspor got Alexander Sorloth noticed by RB Leipzig and they paid £16m for the Norway international. Only five goals in 30 games then saw him back out on loan. Alexander Sorloth playing alongside Alexander Isak in the 2021/22 season for Real Sociedad, before Isak then signed for Newcastle United.
An interesting team Real Sociedad had back then. That 2021/22 La Liga season saw Alexander Isak score six goals in 32 league appearances, whilst Alexander Sorloth scored four goals in 33 league appearances. Now first choice for Spain, Mikel Oyarzabal was actually top La Liga scorer for Real Sociedad that season with nine goals in 22 league matches. Former Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino was also part of that Real Sociedad team in 2021/22, making 34 La Liga appearances.
It is with Atletico Madrid though that Alexander Sorloth has really shown what he is capable of these last two seasons. As I said though earlier, the chances of Newcastle United signing a 30-year-old in an expensive deal must be pretty slim this transfer window.