“Isak has agreed to join Arsenal, I’m not happy about it and here’s why”: Liverpool coach Arne Slot reveals why he’s not happy with Isak joining Arsenal

Arsenal have once more been warned off from Alexander Isak. The Newcastle United striker is expected to be a top target for clubs across Europe over the summer with Mikel Arteta’s need for a new centre forward more obvious than ever.

He is currently working without a recognised No.9 after Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz sustained season-ending injuries within four weeks of each other. In their absence Arteta has turned to Leandro Trossard moving centrally from the wing and nominal midfielder Mikel Merino in an unorthodox and unnatural advanced position.

Arsenal’s results since losing Havertz have been one win, one draw, and a loss. Failing to pick up points in their last two matches has all but ended their faint hopes of pipping Liverpool to the Premier League title.

Meanwhile, Isak continues to lash in the goals for Newcastle. He is up to 22 in all competitions this season, 19 of those coming in the league. Isak remains a creative threat as well as a lethal finisher too, setting up five goals. He has done this in just 31 matches, picking up where he left off last year.

His 25 goals (21 in the league) for 2023/24 was a marked improvement on his debut campaign in England. Isak is now established as one of the finest marksmen in the world.

Arsenal’s interest extends way beyond just his recent form, though. Goalscoring exploits in his home country of Sweden were followed up in the Netherlands and then Spain (after a disappointing time at Borussia Dortmund). He was of immense interest to Arsenal when at Real Sociedad and that has not diminished.

Now 25, Isak is judged to be worth more than double his £65million price tag from August 2022 when Newcastle spent big on him. Arsenal are among the admirers for him heading into the summer window later this year but have regularly been kept at arm’s length.

In a revealing interview with reports from the northeast, Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales has issued another strong statement of intent to keep Isak. “You would rather have people talking about players than not in the sense we know he is a world-class player and he is somebody, obviously, other clubs would covet because he is an incredible player,” Eales said.

“It is part and parcel of the world we live in, but it is frustrating. It is part of what football is, everybody wants to have a story and talk about it but when you think about the growth of Newcastle, we have the ambition to be a top club.

“There is a sense of annoyance as we are almost seen as the next category down and it is fair game to talk about our players but we are striving as a club to be at the top table and we want our best players here. And to be honest it shows the value Isak has that they talk about him all the time.”

With a contract until 2028, talk of a renewal have been rife as speculation grows. “We’re going to be clear – he has multiple years left,” Eales added.

“So like all of these things, we will have the discussions in terms of a new deal just like we did with Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon. That’s something that we will approach in the summer.”

Eales has been open about Newcastle’s financial position in the past, though, and admitted that some players would need to be sold in order to continue spending due to Profitability and Sustainability rules (PSRs). “It’s difficult to say specifically on certain players, but I can say that if we’re going to get to where we want to get to, at times it is necessary to trade your players,” he said just over 12 months ago. “Any decision we make will always be against the backdrop of the medium to long-term benefit for the club.

“Whether that is because of the contract length of the player in question, the offer is too good to refuse, you need to reload in certain areas, but all of this could make sense to trade that player. It is counter-intuitive and part of the inherent system of PSR that there is an incentive to trade your players if you want to re-invest.”

Here, Eales took a more determined stance. “The reality is that all of our players are under long-term deals,” he said. “They’re committed to the club. So, from that perspective, we’re not looking to move any player on. We’ve got that wish and desire to keep our key players [and] we’re not under the gun [to sell] or anything like that.

“We’ve got an ownership that is ambitious [and] wants the best for the club. So from that perspective, it’d be crazy for us to consider it.” This is unlikely to stop Arsenal or their rivals from trying.