Alan Shearer has told Arsenal to forget about signing Alexander Isak even if they meet Newcastle United £150 million transfer valuation.
The Sweden international has been coveted by the Gunners in the past with interest dating back to his time at Real Sociedad.
Isak is now considered among Europe’s elite centre forwards and continued his remarkable purple patch with the opening goal against the Gunners in last night’s Carabao Cup semi final first leg at the Emirates.
Arsenal’s hopes of landing Mikel Arteta’s No.1 transfer target this month or in the summer have, however, been reduced by Newcastle slapping a huge valuation on their prize asset.
Shearer, the club’s record scorer, however, believes it would be foolish for Newcastle to part company with Isak even if the Gunners were to stump up the asking price.
He told The Rest Is Football:’No is the answer. Who would they go out and get that would come into Newcastle and do a similar job.
‘We know that centre forwrad is the most important position. One of the reasons they’re fifth and in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup. What are the fans going to do with the money? I wouldn’t sell absolutely not.
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‘If you go out and spend £50m or £60m on another striker… who, what and where? They’re difficult to find so when you’ve got a good one why do you want to let him go for any price.
‘If they’ve got to sell for PSR reasons there will be other players that I would sell before I would sell Isak for £150m.’
Shearer did acknowledge, however, that Arsenal are in need of a new striker after watching the likes of Kai Havertz squander a series of opportunities during last night’s defeat.
‘I still feel that’s the one position that Arsenal are missing, it’s a main centre forward. If they were to get one of those I would be really confident they would win the league.’
Arsenal have been linked with a number of forwards over the course of the last 12 months and Arteta certainly made no secret of how impressed he was with Isak’s display at the Emirates.
He said: ‘I don’t think he created or had any big chances, but he was involved in both goals unfortunately with the two times that he had the ball in the box.
‘That’s what you have – the real quality up front and they can make a difference. They’re very clinical.’
The second leg takes place next month and Arteta is hopeful his side can turn the tie around at St James’ Park and book an unlikely place at Wembley.
‘It’s just half time and when I see the team playing and how we dealt with a lot of situations and playing against a very good team, I must say, I have full belief that we can go up there and do it,’ he said.
‘If you look at what both teams produced and the domination of the game, it’s not a result that reflects the story of the game.
‘But the reality is that they were super efficient with the chances that they had and we weren’t, and at this level in these kind of scenarios, you need to impose yourself and win the game.’