Newcastle want close to £200million for Alexander Isak, as they prepare to fend off interest from Arsenal this summer.
Isak, 24, has enjoyed the most prolific season of his career to date, scoring 25 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions. That included netting 21 times in the Premier League, finishing the campaign as the third top scorer in the division behind Erling Haaland (27) and Cole Palmer (22).
In fact, Isak (108) had the second best minutes-per-goal out of anyone in the top 20 Premier League scorers, with Haaland (95) topping that list. It has been a fine season for the Sweden international, who has since attracted interest from the likes of Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
After narrowly missing out on the Premier League title, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is keen to strengthen his squad this summer. A new centre forward is on their wishlist, with Sporting CP marksman Victor Gyokeres and Brentford striker Ivan Toney among those linked with a move to the Emirates.
Isak is also in that conversation following his excellent season at St James’ Park. However, The Telegraph report that Newcastle are not contemplating a sale this summer. Eddie Howe considers the former Real Sociedad forward as integral to their future plans as they look to build on a seventh-place finish.
Newcastle have ‘laughed’ at reports suggesting a £90m offer would be accepted for Isak and Arsenal would need to double that offer before they even engaged in conversation. The Magpies are also ready to convince the forward that he should stay in the North East if the Gunners do make a move.
When asked about his future last month, Isak said: “Yeah, of course I want to be here in the future. I came here for the project, I absolutely love playing here, I really feel at home. I want to finish this season in a good way for me and the team. I love playing here.”
If the Gunners do stump up the reported £180m figure then that would represent the second-most expensive transfer of all time behind Neymar (£198m). Isak moved to the Magpies from Sociedad for £63m in August 2022 and has since scored an impressive 35 goals in 67 matches.
The report comes a matter of days after Ian Wright urged the Gunners to sign the Swede this summer. He told Premier League Productions: “There is a lot of talk about what’s happening with Isak at Newcastle. You look at Isak, you could say, ‘yeah [you’d take him]’ You could probably see somebody like him at Arsenal the way he plays.
“The way he can link up. The way Mikel would want him to play in that team if it was him or a player of that stature. But we need somebody, first and foremost, who is going to take the half-chance.”
