Fabrizio Romano has given an update on the transfer future of Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak ahead of their final with Liverpool.
Isak, 25, will play his 100th game for the club this weekend in the League Cup final at Wembley against Arne Slot’s side but he has been linked with a move to Anfield in recent months.
With 19 goals and five assists in 25 league games, Isak has been in the form of his life having enjoyed a run of scoring in eight games in a row in December through to mid-January.
Multiple clubs have been reportedly vying for a move for the Swedish international, including Arsenal, but Liverpool have emerged as contenders in recent months. And now Romano has given fans an update ahead of their clash this weekend.
Speaking days before the final, Romano said on his YouTube channel: “About Arsenal, guys, I wanted to confirm once again what I’ve been telling you. Two names for the striker position.
“One for sure is Alexander Isak, the priority target for Arsenal, but also Liverpool are closely monitoring the situation of Alexander Isak. So for sure, Liverpool and Arsenal will be in the mix for the player.
“And it really depends on Newcastle or what Newcastle wants to do in terms of eventual price for the player.
“If you talk to Newcastle today, they insist that the player is not for sale, that the player is untouchable. But when these clubs will arrive with important proposals, we have to see what kind of number they will give them.
Liverpool star expected to leave after poor form
One player who would need to exit to allow for Isak to join is likely to be Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan has struggled for regular minutes under Slot and his recent penalty miss against Paris Saint-Germain may have put the final nail in his coffin.
With seven goals in 39 games this season, fans have always demanded more from the former Benfica striker and now it is expected that he will leave in the summer window, according to Romano.
“Darwin is expected to leave Liverpool in the summer transfer window. Alexander Isak is one of the names they have on the list.
“But for Arsenal, [Isak] is an obsession. Alexander Isak is a player they wanted for a long time – considered fantastic by Mikel Arteta.
“So it’s going to be an interesting one to follow Alexander Isak for sure in the summer transfer window.”