Arsenal are reportedly ready to give up on Alexander Isak and sign the next big thing, Hugo Ekitike, and that is a wise decision from the club's transfer chiefs.
Isak is almost every Premier League club's dream striker after a stellar 2024-25 campaign, during which he scored 23 goals in 34 games. The prolific Swede has been a revelation at Newcastle United, and there's little chance of signing him for anything less than £120m.
While RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres have also been on the North Londoners' radar, they could do with a more versatile frontman. There isn't a better player fitting such a profile than Ekitike, who has also received interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.
Ekitike - The Closest Arsenal Will Get To Isak
The £85m-rated French forward is up for grabs but not cheap
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German outlet BILD reports that Arsenal have joined the race for Ekitike and are set to rival United, Chelsea and Liverpool for the 23-year-old. He is viewed as an alternative to Sesko and Gyokeres, whose respective price tags are proving problematic.
Ekitike has become one of Europe's most highly-admired attackers during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, flourishing in Germany this past season. He isn't your traditional target man like Sesko or Gyokeres, offering a ton of pace, agility, creativity and instinctive movement that could blend superbly with the playmakers at the Emirates.
The Gunners need a proven goalscorer and while the France U21 international is still growing, he's shown he has a knack for finding the back of the net. He hit 15 goals in 33 Bundesliga games last season and may be eager for a chance to prove himself at a European powerhouse following a failed spell at Paris Saint-Germain.
Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak (Respective Leagues 2024-25)
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There are also intriguing similarities between the Frenchman and Isak, who share a similar height and ball-carrying abilities. It's the forward duo's movement that catches the eye mostly, knowing when to time the right run.
Those traits have been missing in Arteta's side, perhaps apart from Gabriel Jesus, but the Brazilian lacks the goalscoring prowess and availability. Ekitike has that, but the North Londoners will need to put their money where their mouth is amid Frankfurt's £85m asking tag.
There's a reason "Isak 2.0" is earning comparisons to club legend Thierry Henry in Germany, and that's because he is an all-rounded attacker whose tendency to operate out on the left is characteristic of the greatest player in the Gunners' history.
All statistics courtesy ofSofaScore- correct as of 30.06.2025
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