£77m release clause: Newcastle eyeing new striker target, Gary Lineker called him 'exceptional'

Alexander Isak is on Newcastle United’s radar, according to The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones. 

Newcastle had hoped to sign young striker Hugo Ekitike from Reims after agreeing a £25million deal.

But that move is thought to be all but dead after the Magpies were hit with ‘ridiculous‘ demands by the player’s agent.

Real Sociedad’s Isak, formerly of Borussia Dortmund, is still fairly young himself at 22. The centre-forward signed a new contract last summer that runs until 2026 and contains a £77million release clause.

Newcastle are now ready to move onto other targets after losing patience with Ekitike’s camp.

Isak is one of the players that the club’s recruitment department have considered, alongside Chelsea forward Armando Broja and Italy number nine Gianluca Scamacca.

However, a fee of more than £40million is likely to be ‘prohibitive’ given that Newcastle are operating under Financial Fair Play constraints.

You can see why Newcastle are interested in Isak. He reached double figures for goals last season (ten), taking him to 43 in 128 appearances overall for Sociedad.

But he offers more than just end-product. He’s also effective when it comes to running with the ball, ranking in the 95th percentile among positional peers for dribbles completed and the 77th for progressive carries (via FBRef).

He’s of a similar mould to the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Dusan Vlahovic, a quick and powerful forward with deceptively good feet.

Isak impressed the watching world at the European Championships last summer, with Gary Lineker calling the Sweden forward an ‘exceptional talent’.

Perhaps they might stick with Callum Wilson and Chris Wood as their no. 9 options for the moment and revisit Isak in a future window, when the price tag has