Eddie Howe has confirmed Newcastle are not open to selling Alexander Isak in the summer. The Swedish star has emerged as a target for Arsenal, who are looking to add a new striker to their ranks.
Newcastle To Keep Key Striker Amid Arsenal Interest
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An Incredible Season
Isak started his Newcastle career after completing a £63 million move from Real Sociedad in 2022. After missing a significant part of his debut campaign with injury, he came back to score ten goals for the Magpies in the 2022-23 season.
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This season, Isak seems to have regained his best form, developing into a cornerstone of Newcastle’s attacking line. An excellent brace against Tottenham on Saturday took the striker’s goal tally for the season to 17.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have long admired Isak’s qualities, keeping tabs on the striker since his days in La Liga. However, the Magpies are not willing to lose their “outstanding” striker ahead of the next season.
New Update From Eddie Howe
Newcastle have already confirmed that they could be forced to sell some of their best players in order to avoid breaching the Financial Fair Play regulations. However, Isak might be too crucial for Eddie Howe to allow his exit.
Asked about the striker’s potential departure in the summer, Howe said (via Independent): “We are trying to build a team, we are trying to grow everything, really, upwards and to do that as quickly as possible and as efficiently as you can.”
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The Newcastle manager added: “You need to keep your best players, otherwise you enter a different period where you go into transition and you have to start again.
“Your top players, the elite ones, are so difficult to recruit, they’re so difficult to find, so when we get them, we’ve got to try to keep them.”
Arsenal Eyeing Several Strikers
Signing Isak won’t be easy for Arsenal as Newcastle consider him central to their current project. However, he’s not the only striker on the club’s radar.
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Brentford’s Ivan Toney is another Premier League target who is reported to be on Arsenal’s list for the summer. Victor Osimhen is linked with both the Gunners and Chelsea. But Napoli’s reported demand of £113 million for the player makes his transfer to the Premier League complicated.
Sporting Lisbon’s Victor Gyokeres could also be considered as an alternative for Isak. Last week, the striker’s representatives started negotiations with several interested clubs for his potential move in the next transfer window.
