David Ornstein says Arsenal would love to sign £60m player

Arsenal’s ongoing search for a striker has once again become a key storyline as the January transfer window approaches.

The club has been in pursuit of a forward for several years.

Dusan Vlahovic came close to joining Arsenal before his 2022 move to Juventus, while Ivan Toney was a major target last year.

This year, Arsenal have considered Benjamin Šeško, and manager Mikel Arteta is known to be an admirer of Alexander Isak.

On The Athletic FC Podcast, David Ornstein discussed Isak’s situation at Newcastle, describing him as a dream target for Arsenal if finances were not a constraint.

Ornstein revealed that Arteta is a huge fan of the £60 million striker and believes that Isak would rank highly on Arsenal’s wishlist if they could sign any forward in the world.

“I think we should cast our gaze onto Alexander Isak. We have seen how unbelievably good he is when he’s fit and in a rhythm.

“There doesn’t appear to be any progress on a new contract. Newcastle have him for several more years, and that perhaps opens the opportunity for clubs to make a push.

“He’s somebody that clubs have looked very closely at in the past. Arsenal, for example, looked to sign him when he was at Real Sociedad, they didn’t end up doing it and he went to Newcastle.

“Mikel Arteta is a known admirer of his and I think in an ideal world if they had their pick of strikers and money wasn’t a factor I do think Arsenal would seriously consider going for him. But finances are an issue and he’s goig to cost a hell of a lot of money and he has spent a lot of time out injured.”

Arsenal’s interest in Alexander Isak is evident, but whether they will move forward with signing the striker remains uncertain.

While Isak is undoubtedly a talented player, there are some challenges to consider.

As David Ornstein points out, Isak’s high transfer cost is a significant factor, and Arsenal also have reservations about his injury history.

However, the statistics indicate that Isak would be an improvement over the current options at Arsenal’s disposal.

Alexander Isak could be available in the January transfer window, with Newcastle struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table. However, it seems unlikely that Arsenal will make a move next month.

Currently, Arsenal do not have plans for major signings in January, so this transfer might be delayed until the summer.

Isak is undoubtedly a player to watch heading into 2025, as interest from top clubs is likely to grow if Newcastle fail to secure European qualification next season.