Newcastle United’s £150m bid for striker Alexander Isak is expected to be enough to stop Arsenal from chasing transferthe report claims.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is a long-time admirer of Isak and was on hand for the Swede’s 15th goal in all competitions this season as Newcastle left the Emirates with A 2-0 advantage in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final in the middle of the week.
Aware of Isaac’s quality, Newcastle challenged all interested parties to break the British transfer record and sign the 25-year-old, who is valued at a staggering £150 million.
The Daily Mail State-owned Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke is “highly unlikely” to sign off on a move for Isak at that price, challenging Arteta to find an alternative, cheaper target.
Arsenal they are not believed to be in immediate danger of falling foul of the Premier League’s financial rules, but there are fears that such a significant outlay on one player could seriously dent their chances of staying within the regulations in the future.
Unless there is a major departure from Arteta’s squad, it is unlikely that there will be enough money in the transfer budget to sign Isak.
Striker Gabriel Jesus will be made available for a transfer in the summer and defender Oleksandr Zinchenko may leave even earlier, but neither will raise the necessary funds for Isak’s move.
Newcastle want to keep Isak, who has publicly highlighted his happiness at St James’ Park, but the Magpies cannot compete with the funds available at other clubs due to financial problems and may have to qualify for the Champions League to keep Isak happy.
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