Alexander Isak wants a change of scenery... and Barça already have a tough rival for his signing

Published:27/10/2024 - 17:19h

Updated:27/10/2024 - 17:19h

Alexander Isak does not want to renew his contract with Newcastle and would look for an exit soon. Arsenal, Barça's main rival in the 'race'

FC Barcelona are 'combing' the market in search of the ideal replacement for Robert Lewandowski in the short or medium term. Despite the fact that the Pole is experiencing a 'second youth' under the orders of Hansi Flick, the 38 years he will be when his contract with the Catalans ends in the summer of 2026 forces the club to think about his possible replacement in the centre of the forward line for the future.

In the offices of the Spotify Camp Nou they are handling several alternatives to reinforce the attack, with Erling Haaland, Viktor Gyökeres and Benjamin Sesko as the main candidates of the sports management. However, the Catalans would have a couple of 'hidden' players on their agenda and Alexander Isak would be one of them. The Swede has been on the Blaugrana radar for some time now and his signing is an option in the Ciudad Condal.

Newcastle do not want to lose him and Arsenal are 'fighting' for his signing

However, Barça would have a tough rival in the 'race' for the goalscorer. Despite his poor start to the season with Newcastle (2 goals in 7 Premier League games), Arsenal would be more than interested in signing Isak. The 'gunners' are in urgent need of a '9' in the penalty area and, according to the 'Daily Mail', they would be willing to try to get him to London in the winter market, or at the latest in the summer.

For his part, the footballer would be happy to see his departure from St. James' Park and would not be willing to renew his contract with the 'magpies' who would not want to lose him. Although the club needs to sell players to comply with the league's sustainability rules, Eddie Howe, the team's coach, assured in a press conference that "I don't see any short-term problems with his contract. We love him here and we want him to stay."

The player's contract expires in 2028, but the Magpies are reportedly trying to improve the contractual conditions of one of the big bets of their new project. Isak landed in England in August 2022 in exchange for 75 million euros, so it seems difficult for Newcastle to open the exit door for him easily. However, the club's financial emergencies could change the equation and Barça and Arsenal are 'lurking'.