Alan Shearer names Arsenal's London rivals as the only team in the PL that can afford to buy Newcastle striker Alexander Isak

Alan Shearer has sparked discussions about Alexander Isak’s future, naming Chelsea as the only Premier League club capable of affording the Newcastle United striker. In an assessment of Isak’s value and the financial constraints faced by clubs due to Profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR), the pundit shared his opinion on why a move for the Swedish forward would be nearly impossible for most clubs.

Since joining Newcastle United for a club-record £63 million in the summer of 2022, Isak has quickly established himself as one of the most dynamic forwards in the Premier League. In the ongoing season, he has already notched up 13 goals for the Magpies and sits in joint-third position on the goalscoring charts alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Cole Palmer.

This success has led to speculation about his valuation, with some reports claiming that Newcastle have slapped a whopping £150 million price tag on the Swede.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with Isak in the past few weeks, but Alan Shearer reckons that the Gunners may not be able to afford the striker’s asking price. Shearer told Betfair:

''Other than possibly Chelsea, I genuinely don’t think that anybody could afford to buy Alexander Isak. Because of the way that the rules are structured with PSR, I don’t think that anybody could afford him. I’ll never say PSR rules are a good thing – even without them in place, I’m not sure if anybody would be able to go to the price that Newcastle would ask for to sell him.''

Shearer believes even the £150 million valuation might not tempt Newcastle to part ways with their star striker.

''I’d guess that they wouldn’t even entertain it. If you’ve paid £63 million for someone and he’s smashing the league up like he is right now, what would the price be? I’ve looked at £150m being talked about, but I don’t think that they would even entertain that, why would they?

''The problem then would be getting somebody in who could do as good of a job. That, at the minute, is what everybody needs – a centre-forward. There isn’t a club in the country who wouldn’t go out and buy a centre-forward like Isak if one was available.''

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''Will push to bring him in'' – Former chief scout says Arsenal are ''determined'' to sign Alexander Isak

Former Manchester United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown has claimed that Arsenal are keen to sign in-form Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, and that the north London club will do everything possible to bring him to the Emirates.

Tensions are growing in Mikel Arteta’s squad as his attackers have struggled in front of goal of late. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have struggled to maintain consistency, which has forced the Gunners to go into the market in search of a new attacker.

It was reported a few hours ago that Arsenal have been prevented from signing Isak due to Newcastle’s asking price.

However, Mick Brown has claimed the Gunners will continue to intensify their interest in the player despite Newcastle’s refusal to part ways with him. He further suggested that Arsenal may have to wait until the summer transfer window to sign the Swede. He told Football Insider:

''I think he’s the best centre-forward in the country all-round. He’s got all the qualities of a world-class striker and I could see him playing well in that Arsenal team. There’s no doubt Arsenal need to improve their forwards, and from what I’ve heard, there are people at the club that think a new attacker will be vital. Isak is their first-choice striker because of all the reasons we’ve spoken about before, but whether they can get a deal over the line is a different question. Newcastle will obviously be reluctant to let him go, but Arsenal will push to bring him in.''

''If they want to sign Isak, I think they’ll have to wait until the summer, because there will be a lot of money involved and you don’t often see that in January. But they’re determined to get it done because he would improve their attacking options, no doubt.''