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Arsenal are re-assessing their forward options in the transfer market after Newcastle United made it clear Alexander Isak would not be sold.
Mikel Arteta is instead more looking to a wide forward who can come inside rather than outright No 9. The Spaniard only wanted high-quality players who had specific traits for that position, which Isak fits exactly.
Arsenal briefly considered Ivan Toney before the Euros, but they are not currently pursuing the Brentford striker. Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko was more seen as an opportunity due to his release clause, but the Slovenian signed a new contract before the Euros.
With that type of forward rare on the market, Areta has instead been willing to explore alternative approaches, including the ongoing evolution of Gabriel Jesus. He would now want a wide forward to complement that, of which there are an abundance in the game. Wolves' Pedro Neto is highly rated but there is a natural weigh-up about the price against his injury record.
Arsenal have shown they are willing to spend big but, as with Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk before them, that is only if the player is exactly right. Declan Rice was seen in that mould. So was Isak, but Newcastle are determined to keep the forward this summer.
There has also been an ongoing tension between the St James Park hierarchy and Arsenal, due to the latter's attitude to state-owned clubs. Some executives at Arsenal have been at the forefront of moves within the Premier League to restrict the potential financial power of Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City and Saudi Arabian-owned Newcastle.
It has led to colder relationships at boardroom level, which was all the more timely given that Arsenal this summer would have been interested in signing two players from the Magpies: Isak and Bruno Guimaraes. They are the two that Newcastle are naturally intent on keeping.
As was reported by The Independent in late May, Arsenal's top target was Isak, but they did not want to get into a long-running saga and were prepared to swiftly move in if there was not an early chance for any kind of deal. That has proven the case, with Arteta now exploring other options.
