Arsenal’s January transfer window was dominated by the club’s reported interest in Dusan Vlahovic, yet when the Serbian moved to Juventus, attentions turned to Alexander Isak.
The Swedish international has emerged as the new favourite to lead the north London side next season. And although the striker was spotted in the English capital in the final week of the window, no transfer ever materialised between Arsenal and Real Sociedad and Isak.
Indeed, the striker has a reported release clause of €90m (£75m), a fee which will be club-record for Arsenal should they meet Sociedad’s demands. However, new reports suggest that the Gunners are no longer the only Premier League club chasing Isak.
According to the Mirror, both Chelsea and Manchester United are keen on the 21-year-old striker, with the latter arguably posing the biggest threat to Arsenal for Isak given their lack of options at centre-forward beyond veterans Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani.
With Arsenal already missing out on Vlahovic, technical director Edu Gaspar can’t allow a similar story to happen for Isak and United this summer.
Isak is the ideal candidate to lead Arsenal next season
The Swede’s goalscoring tally this season might be underwhelming at just eight goals in all competitions, yet with Isak just 21-years-old, there’s no denying the youngster has the potential to become a real star in Europe.
Moreover, Arsenal could prove to be the perfect club for Isak to join in the summer given Mikel Arteta’s philosophy to build the squad around young players who fit the Basque coach’s style of play.
At 6’4” with both strength and pace, Isak, who Gary Lineker labelled as ‘exceptional’ during Euro 2020, has all the physical tools to become a nightmare for defenders in the Premier League, and for Arsenal, they could be the club to unlock the attacker’s true potential.
Edu can’t allow United to pip Gunners to Isak
Indeed, it is perhaps not too surprising to see reports now emerge that the likes of Chelsea and United are interested in Isak. Yet for Arsenal, this news could be major in their chase to sign the striker.
Whilst their west London rivals realistically won’t go after the youngster given their heavy investment in Romelu Lukaku last season, United do pose a challenge to Arsenal for Isak, with the Red Devils needing a player who could lead their attack for years to come.
What is more, Isak could be tempted by a move to Manchester, with the prospect of learning under Ronaldo at a club as big as United a dream for any young attacker, and this is a problem for Arsenal.
The Gunners already missed out on Vlahovic last month. And with United now reportedly interested in Isak, Arsenal can’t allow a repeat to happen for another talented striker who has the potential to star for the north London side for years to come.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
