Chelsea ready to battle Arsenal over deal to sign £60m star – reports

Chelsea have joined Arsenal in the race to sign Alexander Isak but the London duo face having to pay up to £60m to land the Real Sociedad forward this summer, according to reports via the Metro.

Isak has emerged as one of the most exciting young talents in Spanish football since joining Sociedad from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 and he’s now an established part of Imanol Alguacil’s starting eleven at the Reale Arena.

The 21-year-old scored 17 goals in his 34 La Liga games last season to help the club qualify for the Europa League with a fifth-placed finish and he’s been catching the eye at Euro 2021 having starred for the Sweden team so far in the group stages.

Isak’s potential has alerted clubs throughout Europe and the Metro claims that Arsenal have been showing a keen interest in luring the young forward to the Premier League this summer.

Mikel Arteta is expected to be active in the transfer market and a new frontman could be on the agenda with Alexandre Lacazette about to enter the final year of his contract and there’s no sign he’ll pen an extension.

If Arsenal are forced to cash-in on Lacazette this summer then Arteta will need a replacement and it looks as though the Spanish coach is eyeing Isak but the Gunners will face stiff competition for his signature.

The Metro are citing a report from AS that claims Chelsea have joined Arsenal in the race to sign Isak after Thomas Tuchel identified him as an alternative to Erling Haaland – who’s set to remain at Dortmund for another year.

Tuchel desperately needs a reliable goalscorer as midfielder Jorginho was Chelsea’s top scorer with just 7 goals last season with the likes of Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham struggling in front of goal.

Isak knows Tuchel as they worked together briefly at Dortmund in 2017 and it looks like they could be reunited at Stamford Bridge if Chelsea decide to formalise their interest over the coming weeks.

The report says the Blues are considering making an opening offer but Sociedad are adamant Isak won’t be sold for anything less than his £60m buyout clause and have made that clear to the players agents, so any deal won’t come cheap.

We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but Isak would be an excellent signing for Arsenal or Chelsea if either of the London giants were able to get a deal agreed for his signature this summer.