Arsenal told to ‘break the bank’ for supreme signing that’ll hand Arteta Premier League title

Arsenal have been urged to sign Newcastle United ace Alexander Isak in a move which could obliterate their transfer record and finally end Manchester City’s dominance in the Premier League.

Arsenal are looking to offload Eddie Nketiah to give them extra resources to bring in a top centre-forward who can rival Erling Haaland and net plenty of goals for Mikel Arteta. The Gunners can currently rely on either Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz up front, though neither of those players are viewed as devastating goalscorers.

Arsenal have been linked with Victor Osimhen of Napoli, but he is more likely to join Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

On Friday, it emerged that Arteta and Arsenal sporting director Edu have drawn up a three-man shortlist as they aim to ramp up their pursuit of a new No 9.

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The list includes Feyenoord star Santiago Gimenez, Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and Evan Ferguson of Brighton.

However, former Arsenal star Paul Merson wants Edu to make a huge statement by raiding Newcastle for their star performer Isak. The pundit has also namechecked Chelsea as a potential destination for the 24-year-old.

“Newcastle have done well to keep Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes, at the moment,” Merson said.

“If I was a Chelsea or an Arsenal, I’d be breaking the bank for Isak. If Chelsea got Isak, they’d be certainty for a top-four finish. If Arsenal got him, they’d win the league.”

Arsenal latest: Merson backs Isak signing

Arsenal signing Isak would certainly give them an even better chance of toppling Man City and ending their wait for Premier League glory.

Isak has proven himself to be one of the deadliest forwards in Europe since joining Newcastle from Real Sociedad in August 2022.

He managed 11 goals in 29 games during his first season at St James’ Park but took a huge leap forward last term. Isak ended the campaign with 25 goals in 40 appearances and showed his quality by causing top defenders all sorts of problems.

Arsenal will have to pay huge money to even get Newcastle to consider selling their prized asset, though.

Eddie Howe’s side value Isak at more than the £100m mark, and some reports have even claimed they want as much as £180m for him, far more than the £105m Arsenal spent on current record signing Declan Rice.

Arsenal cannot afford to pay £180m for one player. Due to this, they would have to offer big money as well as numerous members of their squad in a player-plus-cash deal.

So far this summer, Arsenal have made David Raya’s loan move permanent by paying Brentford an extra £27m, while also bringing in Tommy Setford and Riccardo Calafiori.

18-year-old goalkeeper Setford cost under £1m and will look to challenge Raya for his starting spot in the coming years, while Arsenal have paid Bologna £42m for defender Calafiori following his excellent 2023-24 campaign.

In addition to their admiration for Isak, Arsenal are pushing hard to make Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino their next summer capture, having entered into advanced talks for him.

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