Newcastle target £40m ‘battering ram’ after Alexander Isak’s one-word Arsenal, Liverpool boost
Newcastle United are reportedly targeting one of the Premier League’s best young performers to replace Alexander Isak should he be sold this summer.
The Sweden international has 21 goals in 24 starts this season in all competitions and has proven that he has improved once again after becoming the seventh-quickest player to reach 50 goals for a Premier League side.
However, his strong form has brought intense speculation of a move away with Liverpool and Arsenal seemingly leading the charge for his signature – and Newcastle have made the necessary arrangements to find a suitable replacement.
According to The Boot Room, they are interested in a move for Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap who has enjoyed a breakout season for Kieran McKenna’s side.
It will prove to be a difficult acquisition given that there are number of sides including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Aston Villa who are all interested and with Ipswich likely to be relegated, he will want a swift return to the top-flight and a move seems likely.
A report from Football Insider claims that a £40million fee would be enough to secure a deal and it would represent a profit of around £20million should that come to fruition.
Delap, 22, has 10 goals in 27 league games and managed to net against Tottenham and Chelsea as well as in both games against Aston Villa and Fulham all in a team that has created the 18th-lowest expected goals figure.
Whereas Newcastle sit fifth for xG, meaning that he would enjoy considerably better service in front of goal which would translate into even more goals.
Interestingly, the hype surrounding Delap stems from his old-school style of play that sees him relish battles with defenders, a willingness to get under their skin, bully them and look to find success by whatever means necessary. That has led to nine yellow cards but he is always a handful.
Described as a ‘one-man battering ram‘ by Opta and called ‘incredible’ by manager McKenna, he has certainly made an impact in his first full season in the top flight.
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Isak’s potential departure
Losing Isak would be a significant blow for Newcastle but if they manage to qualify for the Champions League this season, which could happen given their league position, that could well curtail any interest from England’s elite.
However, Arsenal are in desperate need of a striker having watched their Premier League title attempts fall short across the past three years and Isak certainly fits the mould of what they need. Whereas Liverpool could lose Mohamed Salah and Isak could replace a large portion of those goals.
Any team wanting to sign him will have to pay a huge fee given that his contract doesn’t expire for a few more years (2028) leaving them in a strong negotiating position.
Commenting on his future ahead of the final, Isak claimed there have been “no talks yet”, with “yet” the operative word to give his suitors hope of a transfer.
