Arsenal must shatter the Premier League transfer record to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle this summer.
Isak, 25, is understood to be Arsenal's dream target ahead of the summer transfer window, with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta keen on signing a new striker. The Swede has been in scintillating form this season, scoring 19 goals across all competitions, including strikes against Arsenal in both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
That's given Arteta a first-hand look at how deadly Isak can be but Newcastle won't let him go on the cheap. The current Premier League transfer record stands at £115million, the fee Chelsea forked out to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton in 2023, topping the £105m which Arsenal paid for Declan Rice that same summer.
But anyone interested in the Toon hitman will have to smash that record - with Newcastle having no interest in negotiating for anything shy of £150million. Even a figure at that £150m mark might not be enough - especially if Newcastle are back in the Champions League next term.
Further denting Arsenal's chances of signing Isak is that they've been working on a move in-demand Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, whose release clause is worth £51m. The pair would therefore cost at least £200m - potentially all of the Gunners' summer budget.
Newcastle shelled out £63m to sign Isak in 2022 and he's on course score at least 20 league goals in back-to-back seasons for the Magpies. The 25-year-old's form hasn't only attracted interest from Arsenal, as Liverpool and Barcelona have also been linked with signing him.
Liverpool will look to sign an upgrade on current No.9 Darwin Nunez while Barca have their eyes open for a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who turns 37 in August. Newcastle, meanwhile, want Isak to sign a new and improved contract, even though his existing deal doesn't expire until 2028.
Mapgies boss Eddie Howe has been forced to answer questions on the Sweden's international's future throughout the season, and last week he claimed that he wouldn't swap Isak for any No.9 in the world. "We have to try to keep our best players," Howe explained.
"That is crucial to our short-term success and our long-term success. Sitting here as the manager of the football club, we need to keep the group together and we need to add the other way. We haven't added in a long time, not in various transfer windows because of the reasons we have previously discussed.
"But we have to move the team forward and we have to keep our best players to do it."