Newcastle United supporters will be praying that Eddie Howe can keep hold of Alexander Isak this summer.
Securing Champions League football for next season would give the club a big boost in this regard, but with interest in the Swede circling, it may be difficult to persuade him to stay.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe before the match-1
Liverpool and Arsenal are the leading contenders to attempt a move to sign the centre-forward when the transfer window opens.
Why Newcastle must keep hold of Alexander Isak
The former Borussia Dortmund forward has enjoyed the finest individual season of his career throughout 2024/25. Across 41 games for the Magpies in all competitions, Isak has scored 27 goals while recording six assists.
At the time of writing, the Toon sit third in the Premier League table, and Isak’s 23 league goals have gone a long way in powering the club to what could be Champions League qualification next term.
Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal-2
This would allow Howe the chance to bring more high-profile players to the North East, while enabling him to potentially keep the likes of Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Bruno Guimaraes for another season.
If the Swedish striker does decide to move on in the summer, Howe will need to bring in a replacement who knows what it takes to score at the very highest level.
Could he turn to La Liga in the coming weeks?
Newcastle could replace Isak with Alexander Sorloth
Signing another centre-forward is certainly on Howe’s wishlist, especially with sparse options in this area of the team.
With Isak’s future uncertain and Callum Wilson not getting any younger and missing the majority of the season due to injury, money will need to be spent.
Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal
Reports in Spain, Newcastle are keen on signing Atlético Madrid frontman Alexander Sorloth this summer.
Atlético signed him last summer for a fee of £27m, although it remains to be seen just how much he could cost this year, especially coming off an excellent campaign for the La Liga side.
The Norwegian was dubbed “legendary” after scoring three goals in the opening 11 minutes of the club’s 4-0 success over Real Sociedad. He ended up netting all four, in what was a stunning display.
Compared to his peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Sorloth demonstrated his sublime abilities in the final third.
Indeed, not only does he rank in the top 1% for non-penalty goals (0.96), but the striker also ranks in the top 3% for total shots (4.24) and in the top 7% for touches in the opposition penalty area, which speaks to how lethal he is in front of goal and why he would be a dream replacement for Isak.
Alexander Sorloth's stats this season
Metric
Appearances
xG
Goals
Shots per game
Goal conversion percentage
Goal frequency (minutes)
Assists
Via Sofascore
Considering he has scored a total of 21 goals for the Spanish side, signing Sorloth could give Newcastle supporters hope that not all is lost if Isak moves on from St. James' Park.
He has history with the Premier League, playing 16 scoreless games for Crystal Palace during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, but now appears to be prepared to be a key player at that level thanks to his experience in Madrid.
Should he return, the striker has matured and surely wouldn’t be fazed this time around, that’s for sure.
Borussia Dortmund's Julian Brandt celebrates scoring their third goal with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and teammates-1 Related
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What a signing he could be for the Magpies.