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Arsenal reportedly pulled out of the race for Alexander Isak this summer because of the Liverpool target's injury record. The Gunners are said to be unwilling to risk paying a record fee for a forward who could miss a chunk of matches in the season.
According to ESPN, apart from the injury record, Arsenal were also convinced that Newcastle United would not sell their star player. They believed that the Magpies would do everything possible to keep their forward, and thus started looking at alternatives.
Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres were their next options and they went on to sign the Sporting CP star. They paid a reported €73.5 million for the Swedish attacker, and he made his unofficial debut in the 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in pre-season.
Liverpool are now pushing to sign Isak this summer and have tabled a £110 million (€126m) bid for him. Newcastle United swiftly rejected the offer, but reports suggest the striker is pushing to join the Anfield side.
The Reds are now worried about the injury, as he missed nine matches in the 2024/25 season. He missed seven games with a broken toe, while the other two games due to groin and hamstring issues.
Isak also missed 23 matches in the 2023/24 season due to a groin issue, while also missing 18 matches in the 2022/23 season due to a thigh problem.
Arsenal were urged to make a bold move for Liverpool target Alexander Isak
Bacary Sagna, during a conversation with Paddy Power earlier this year, claimed that Alexander Isak was the best option for Arsenal. He claimed that the now-Liverpool target would put away the chances created by his teammates, something the current options in Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz failed to do consistently. He said:
"Alexander Isak suits Arsénal's style of play perfectly. He has a young mentality and is very clinical in front of goal. Arsenal is a different team at the minute for these players. They have good enough players to create the danger themselves. If you are performing well in one team, though, it doesn't mean you're going to perform well in another, though.
"Arsenal need to sign a striker in the summer with a purpose – like a number nine. They've had big injuries like Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz. That was a blow and is probably why it's been so difficult to keep the consistency offensively. You need someone to cope, and you need a specialist."
Liverpool are yet to launch a new bid for Isak, but reports suggest Newcastle United are willing to accept any offer close to £140 million (€160m) for the striker.
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Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.
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If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.
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