Alexander Isak's final Arsenal transfer decision made as deadline day arrives

Arsenal are dropping their pursuit of Newcastle star striker Alexander Isak as the summer transfer market prepares to slam shut.

Mikel Arteta's Gunners are reportedly active on the final day of the window - Bournemouth's Neto is set to replace new Southampton man Aaron Ramsdale as back-up goalkeeper, and Raheem Sterling is supposedly still on their radar.

However, one wish that has so far gone unfulfilled is that of a premier number nine. A range of exciting talent has been linked with a move to the Emirates, including Saudi Arabia-bound Ivan Toney and Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres, but no move has materialised.

Newcastle's Isak is someone Arsenal admire, but he looks to be staying at St. James's Park for the foreseeable future, leaving Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz to lead the line during Arteta's third consecutive League title in March.

Before Isak became a Newcastle player, the Gunners reportedly scouted the then-Real Sociedad man but lost out to the Magpies after refusing to pay his £77million release clause.

The Swede, who Newcastle paid £63m for in 2022, had a breakout year last season. He notched 21 goals in the league, a tally only bested by Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer and caught the eye of some top European clubs, including Arteta's side.

Interest in Isak from the Gunners was reported by The Guardian back in April when it was expected that a fee in the region of £100m could tempt Newcastle to part with their talismanic forward.

The ball really got rolling in June, however, when it became clear that the Magpies would struggle to meet the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules deadline at the end of the month and could head to panic stations.

Liverpool were another club keen to take advantage, lodging a bid for winger Anthony Gordon. Arsenal, too, were reportedly set to pounce on Isak, but Newcastle made ends meet elsewhere.

Offloading Yankuba Minteh to Brighton and Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for a combined £68m raised funds necessary to balance their books, and the club suddenly became far more reluctant to sell.

Arsenal chose to prioritise the incomings of David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori, and Mikel Merino instead of splashing out the fee that it would've taken to sign Isak. With funds having relatively dried up and deadline day upon us, there will be no Emirates move for the 24-year-old Swede this summer.

"For me, I think the biggest thing is would I swap him with anybody else? No, I wouldn't," said Isak's manager, Eddie Howe, when asked about his striker's future. "When you look at his age profile and what's to come, you look at his attributes and his qualities, he's some talent."