Some Arsenal fans have been left ruing the club’s luck following the bombshell that Alexander Isak wants to leave Newcastle United.
Alexander Isak has made a dreadful summer even worse for Newcastle United after it emerged that he does want to leave the club this summer.
Isak missed the defeat to Celtic on Saturday and hasn’t travelled to Asia for the pre-season tour due to a thigh injury, the club insists.
Though the Swede has not handed in a transfer request, the Daily Mail reports that Isak has ‘told Newcastle he wants to explore a move away from the club.’
It has also been reported that Isak has rejected a new contract offer from Newcastle, though he still has three years remaining on his current deal.
Liverpool appears the obvious destination, though Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal also have an ’emerging interest’ in Isak, Geordie Boot Boys understands.
One team that had been chasing Isak for some time was Arsenal, with the Gunners heavily linked in 2024, January and at the start of the summer.
However, they have instead turned their attention to a different Swedish striker and are closing in on signing Viktor Gyokeres instead.
Though Gyokeres scored a remarkable 54 goals for Sporting last season, some Arsenal fans are gutted that Isak didn’t announce his intention to leave much earlier so they could sign him instead.
- Who is Alexander Isak? The striker who burned his Newcastle United reputation to force £125m Liverpool transfer
Arsenal fans left gutted as they sign Viktor Gyokeres instead of Alexander Isak
Isak has been so heavily linked with Arsenal over the last 18 months that he was even drawn to comment on the speculation in March 2024.
Speaking after an international fixture, he said: “It doesn’t affect me that much.
“It has been talked about many times, in many windows. I see it as just such a thing. Everyone knows that summer is coming and if things show up, things can happen, but I actually haven’t even thought about it.”
Now, however, Arsenal appear to have missed their chance to sign Isak as they close in on signing Gyokeres for £63.5m.
Though a lot of fans have maintained their club wouldn’t stand a chance at signing Isak for the £150m Newcastle want – not to mention his £300,000-a-week wage demands – others can’t help but wish they were signing him instead.
One fan, X user @AFCAlix, simply wrote: “Pain,” when reacting to the news.
“Best striker in the world Isak wants to leave and is demanding £300k a week. And here we have Arsenal casually giving the likes of Havertz £280k a week. We’re the worst-run club about,” @EliteGunner lamented.
@Kannanz0711 wrote: “Arsenal is gonna regret abt splashing big money on Noni & Gyokeres if Isak moves to Liverpool… I am sure on that…He was the guy for us.”
Another fan has been left wounded by the news too, with @DJ___ writing: “Arsenal not being involved for Isak is probably the biggest sign that the club is going in the wrong direction.”
Will Liverpool sign Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike?
Isak’s timing does seem peculiar.
The 25-year-old has had the entire summer to make his intentions known and facilitate what is bound to be a British record transfer, yet he has instead waited for the middle of pre-season.
Other clubs have already blown their budgets and signed new top strikers, drastically reducing the options available to him.
However, the one option he might want more than any other, Liverpool, appears to be still open for business.
Some supporters hoped that the fact Liverpool are closing in on signing Hugo Ekitike, a striker they targeted after Newcastle said no to their Isak approach, would mean they’re no longer in the market for another expensive striker.
However, according to Fabrizio Romano, that is not the case.
The transfer guru took to X to report that ‘Isak remains a target for Liverpool even after signing Ekitike.’
Liverpool have already spent a humungous £214.5m this summer in signing Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardshvili. Ekitike’s arrival will take that over £300m.
Should they then sign Isak, that would be an outlay of at least £450m in a single window. A staggering sum that shows just how far Newcastle still are off the top.
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