Arsenal will have to break the bank if they want to sign Mikel Arteta’s top transfer target this summer.
The Gunners are expected to be active when the window opens in June. They need to strengthen their squad to pip Manchester City to the Premier League title after falling short two seasons in a row.
Edu Gaspar and Arteta will have their wish list ready, but their hopes of signing one of Arsenal‘s top targets this summer look slim now.
Newcastle set to demand astronomical fee for Arsenal target Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak has been on Arsenal’s radar for years.
The Gunners tried to sign him in January 2022, when he was at Real Sociedad. That move failed to materialise, and Isak moved to Newcastle in the following summer.
The Swede has become a fan favourite at St James Park. He has proven his class there and has become a wanted man after a terrific 2023/24 season, in which he scored 25 goals in all competitions.
Arsenal are the club who have been heavily linked with a move to sign Isak. He has even been described as the ‘dream’ target of Mikel Arteta’s club this summer.
The Gunners boss wants to sign him more than any other player, but he is now set for disappointment unless Stan Kroenke agrees to spend a gigantic fee.
The Chronicle reveal that Newcastle United will demand an eye-watering £200 million for Isak from Arsenal or any other interested club this summer.
That’s nearly twice as much as what the Gunners paid to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United for a club-record fee in the summer of 2023.
Unless that price tag drops, it is very unlikely that Arsenal will get him.
READ MORE: Paul Merson delivers verdict on Alexander Isak joining Arsenal
The latest on Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal links
Alexander Isak is not the only Newcastle player Arsenal are interested in, the Gunners want to sign Bruno Guimaraes as well.
The Brazilian, like Isak, has been on Arsenal’s radar for a long time, and with Mikel Arteta in need of a new midfielder, he could well make a move for him.
Guimaraes has a release clause of £100 million, which can be triggered before the end of June. Arsenal or any other interested club can pay that fee in three instalments as well (UOL).
However, the report from the Chronicle reveals that if the clause is not triggered by the end of June, ‘Newcastle will only consider “astronomical” offers for the Brazil midfielder’.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal can get either Isak or Guimaraes this summer. A move for the latter looks far more realistic.