Arsenal ‘most likely’ to complete £80m deal for Newcastle star as Arteta’s ‘marquee signing’
Arsenal are leading the race to sign Alexander Isak from Premier League rivals Newcastle United, according to reports.
Isak has impressed for the Magpies since completing a club-record £58million transfer from Real Sociedad in August 2022, scoring 22 goals in 42 league appearances.
Arsenal ‘most likely’ to win Alexander Isak race
Newcastle’s chief executive Darren Eales has previously said that he would be open to letting a star player leave to balance the books and the Swedish striker, along with Bruno Guimaraes, are the most plausible sales.
Guimaraes reportedly has a £100m release clause in his contract at St James’ Park and there have been no reports of Isak having a similar agreement.
While letting the Brazilian leave for his release clause would be extremely beneficial as the Geordies would receive the fee in one payment, they have more flexibility should clubs attempt to buy Isak.
FEATURE: Isak to Arsenal? Top 10 strikers on the market this summer as Gunners, Man Utd chase new No. 9
Amidst Newcastle’s stance on selling a big name, we could see interest in Isak ramp up as several top clubs eye the signing of a new striker.
One club in the market for a No. 9 is Arsenal, who were strongly linked with the 24-year-old before he left Sociedad for Eddie Howe’s side.
The Gunners are believed to still be interested in signing the former Borussia Dortmund player, while Manchester United are also keen.
A recent report from iPaper stated that Mikel Arteta’s side have ‘retained an interest’ and are in ‘prime position’ to win the race for Isak’s signature.
Arsenal’s interest appears to be genuine with a more recent report from GiveMeSport journalist Dean Jones claiming the Londoners are the ‘most likely suitors to sign Isak during the summer transfer window’.
It is noted that Arteta is eager for Isak to be his ‘marquee signing’ at the end of a season in which they are fighting for Premier League and Champions League glory.
The report also claims that Newcastle face convincing their star men that there is still ‘ambition’ at the club with a top-four finish looking extremely unlikely.
This is likely to spark ‘extensive interest’, which the Magpies ‘fear’, with Isak expected to be valued at £80m.
Arsenal need a striker
A new striker is Arteta’s biggest priority going into the summer transfer window.
Gabriel Jesus has impressed since joining Arsenal from Manchester City for £45m but has left a lot to be desired in the goalscoring department, which is quite important for a No. 9.
Meanwhile, Eddie Nketiah has rarely impressed when tasked with leading the line for the Gunners and could leave the club at the end of the season.
Plenty of strikers are being linked with a move to the Emirates, and in my humble opinion, Isak is the best option out there.
Arsenal are also being linked with Brentford’s Ivan Toney, Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, who are all valued at around £100m.
READ NOW: Rice, Isak in top five, Pogba 14th: Ranking all 20 Premier League clubs’ record signings
