'No intention' - Arsenal suffer £60m transfer blow

Newcastle United have confirmed that they will not be parting ways with Alexander Isak anytime soon, putting a major spanner in the works for Arsenal's transfer plans.

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the Magpies are not willing to let their star striker go despite ongoing financial concerns and the growing interest from the Emirates club. The Swedish 24-year-old joined Newcastle in 2022 from Real Sociedad and although the transfer fee was never confirmed, it was believed to be in the region of €70 million (around £60m).

The striker has since become a hugely integral part of Eddie Howe's set-up at St James's Park and the club evidently hope that this continues beyond the summer. Newcastle may not have reached the heights in the league that they accomplished in the 2022/23 season, but Isak has still found the back of the net 16 times this campaign which has put him on the radar of several clubs around the continent, with recent reports indicating Mikel Arteta had identified him as a top priority ahead of this summer's transfer window. It was even suggested that the Gunners had been preparing a £100m bid for the Swede.

It's no secret that the Gunners boss has been on the hunt for a new striker, with names such as Napoli's Victor Osimhen, Brentford's Ivan Toney and Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres floating about. Isak had been supposedly considered the main target but this recent report will force Edu and the Arsenal board to reconsider their options.

This is not the first time Arsenal had shown interest in the Swedish international and the Emirates club have kept a close eye on the 24-year-old for a number of years.

Newcastle are set to face tremendous financial complications in the coming months with the Premier League clamping down on profit and sustainability rules. Everton and Nottingham Forest have already suffered the consequences of breaching the rules which has led to several other clubs quickly scrambling to rectify their accounts.

Due to the heavy spending since the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund took over in 2022, the Magpies are one such club who will need to address their financial books with recent reports inferring Bruno Guimaraes could be a casualty. Isak, it would appear will not be as he remains in the club's long-term plans for their future success.