Arsenal have been handed the chance to sign the £46million “world class” star.

Arsenal’s a disappointing season got worse last night.

Mikel Arteta the side played against Newcastle United in the first match League Cup semi-final, which became all the more important because of their weakness Premier League form, but instead of taking the lead in the first game, the Gunners were blown away by the visitors.

There were impressive performances all over the pitch for the Toon, but there was a clear standout Alexander Isakwhich is consistent associated with moving to the Emiratesand if yesterday’s match was an audition, he passed with the best grades.

However, signing the Swede in the summer, let alone this month, could cost the North Londoners a king’s ransom, so recent reports linking them with an alternative number nine shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Arsenal are targeting a towering striker

According to a recent report from Football TransfersArsenal have maintained a long-standing interest in the Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic and they got another chance to sign him this month.

The report revealed that because of the Serbian monster salary of around £352k per week and the lack of progress being made in renegotiating a lower salary, the Old Lady are happy to sell him this month to avoid him leaving for less in the summer or worse, on a free next year.

According to the report, this desire to get the headstrong forward off the books has seen the Torino outfit lower their asking price to just €55m, which is around £46m, this month.

Now, that’s still a hefty fee and few will argue that he’s quite at the same level as Isak, but given Vlahovic’s impressive ability and results over the last few seasons, it could prove to be a bargain and one that allows the club to spend somewhere else.

How Vlahović compares Isak

So the first thing to say is that, in a perfect world where money wasn’t an issue and Arsenal could get any striker in world football, we imagine most fans, and probably the club, would also go out and snap up Isak.

However, that’s simply not the way the transfer market works, and while the Gunners may be able to sign the Swede this year, reports from earlier this month suggest they would have to spend a whopping £150 million to do so, and given that Declan Rice is the club’s current record holder signed for £105mthat seems incredibly likely.

So with Vlahovic reportedly available for less than a third of that price, he seems like a realistic and brilliant alternative, especially as his recent form isn’t a million miles away from the Toon star.

For example, in only 23 appearances this season, the “world” Serb, ace dubbed by journalist Siavoush Fallahihe scored a goal 12 goals and two assistswhich equates to an impressive goal share average of every 1.64 games.

In comparison, the former Real Sociedad ace scored 15 goals and four assists in 22 appearances, a slightly better goal share average of every 1.15 games, although not better for £104m.

Moreover, while the Newcastle star is fantastically talented, he has a worrying injury record.

Let’s say, from the beginning of his career, ace born in Solna missed 66 games injury, while the Belgrade titan was absent only 26 games.

Ultimately, Isak is simply a sensational footballer, but at a potential £150m, it seems incredibly unlikely that Arsenal will sign him, especially when Vlahovic is reportedly available for less than a third of that, while he is only marginally worse.

It may not be a move that will make the fans happy, but signing the Juventus star and using the remaining £104m to invest in more wide players could be the smartest option for Arteta and company.