Arsenal and Chelsea told price tag for 'best striker' after Boxing Day goal

Arsenal and Chelsea have been told that they will need to fork out £150 million to tempt Newcastle United to sell long-term transfer target Alexander Isak over the upcoming transfer windows.

Both the London outfits are chasing Liverpool in the Premier League title race and have been linked with a big outlay to bring in a talisman to lead the line over the past 12 months. Victor Osimhen, Ivan Toney and Viktor Gyokeres are three prolific names rumoured to have been targets for Arsenal and Chelsea, but not move came to fruition during the summer window.

Mikel Arteta has been deploying either Kai Havertz or Gabriel Jesus in the striker role at the Emirates Stadium while Enzo Maresca has largely trusted Nicolas Jackson in the Premier League, despite Christopher Nkunku's form in cup competitions. There remains a sense that the lead bagsman's role could still be up for grabs at both clubs.

Isak has regularly been linked with a move to the Gunners and the Blues. A report from Teamtalk at the end of November suggested that Maresca's side had joined Arsenal in the transfer race for the 25-year-old with a potential fee of £115 million touted.

However, a fresh report from The Telegraph claims that it will take more than £150 million to persuade Newcastle United to sell their star man. Isak has 11 goals in 16 top flight appearances this term and has only been outscored by Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer in the Premier League.

The Tyneside club are believed to have put the lofty £150 million price tag on the player in an attempt to dissuade potential bids for the player next summer, with a January move likely to be next to impossible. Isak arrived at St James' Park in August 2022 for a club record transfer fee of £63 million.

The forward put pen to paper on a six-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2028. Newcastle United are believed to be looking to extend that deal at the end of the current season but will not lower their asking price in the process of doing that.

Alexander Isak labelled ‘the best striker in the Premier League’

Isak had entered contract talks with the club earlier this year but those talks broke down at the time. Speaking in October, Magpies manager Eddie Howe said: "That's a slightly more complex situation.

"Regarding contracts, I'm not involved in those discussions day to day. With Alex, he's got a long contract anyway at the football club and we have to be really careful with our spending due to profit and sustainability rules (PSR). It's not a clear-cut situation.

"We of course love him [Isak] and are desperate for him to stay at Newcastle for many years and score loads of goals for us. I don't see a short-term issue with his contract."

Isak was on target for Newcastle United against Aston Villa on Boxing Day and was praised by BBC Sport pundit and former pro Troy Deeney as he picked his Team of the Week. Namechecking the Gunners, the former Watford striker wrote: "Back again, the man, the myth, Mr Isak. He’s the best striker in the Premier League currently. Arsenal, just sign him and you’ll win the league, it’s really not that difficult.”