Arsenal have long appreciated Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, dating back to his time at Real Sociedad, according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano.
The Sweden international has impressed in his time in the Premier League, and there’s been some talk of him possibly being on the move this summer due to Newcastle being under pressure to sell players because of Financial Fair Play.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano admitted it could be possible that players will head out of St James’ Park this summer, with Bruno Guimaraes someone who could seemingly be worth keeping an eye on.
This is less certain with Isak, however, even if Romano admitted that Arsenal have always liked the player, and view him as a good fit for their style of play after extensive scouting of the 24-year-old.
Isak transfer: Is he what Arsenal need?
Arsenal could probably do with making a major signing up front this summer after a slightly disappointing season from the injury-prone Gabriel Jesus, while Eddie Nketiah has also fallen out of favour even as a backup player.
Isak would surely be an ideal addition, but Romano doesn’t seem too sure about anything concrete happening on that front at the moment, naming someone like Sporting Lisbon goal machine Viktor Gyokeres as a possible alternative.
“Alexander Isak is another Newcastle player attracting interest, and Arsenal have always appreciated him, even when he was at Real Sociedad. They’ve been scouting him for a while and he’s considered a really talented striker, and with the style they have I think he’s appreciated as a good fit for that style,” Romano said.
“However, I’m not aware of any direct contacts or negotiations for Arsenal to sign Isak, so it’s not something concrete at this point. I also don’t see Newcastle selling two or three important players – I think they will have to make a decision on who is the one to leave the club.
“And with Arsenal, they have multiple candidates who could come in up front, with Viktor Gyokeres one of the names on their list, as well as others, while a deal for Isak won’t be easy.”