Newcastle 'worried' about Alexander Isak as Mikel Arteta forces Arsenal to change plans

Senior figures at Newcastle United are reportedly 'worried' that Alexander Isak's head may have been turned by recent transfer speculation. The Magpies are adamant that Isak is not for sale at any price this summer but they could be put in an awkward position if he decides to try and force through a move himself.

Up to this point in the window there has been no sign of the Swede attempting to force his way out of St. James' Park, even after Liverpool approached Newcastle to explore the prospect of a £120million deal earlier this month. The Reds have now turned their attention to Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, but that does not necessarily mean that the Toon are out of the woods.

Among Isak's vast array of top suitors is Arsenal. According to The Independent, Mikel Arteta 'loves' the 25-year-old and sees him as the 'ideal' recruit.

The Gunners are closing in on the signing of Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres, but Newcastle will not feel they can breathe easy until Isak's international strike partner is pictured holding the red and white shirt.

There are questions around whether Arsenal would even have the funds to meet Newcastle's £150m price tag. Arteta has reportedly forced Emirates chiefs to alter their plans for the current window and spend more than they were originally planning, which has led to the big-money signings of Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi.

It remains to be seen whether it could be stretched even further to accommodate Isak's fee, or whether the £63.6m package lined up for Gyokeres will take Arsenal to maximum spending capacity.

Even if the Gunners are unable to capitalise, there are others lurking. Paris Saint-Germain have been touted as 'one to watch', while there has been interest in Isak from the Saudi Pro League.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe raised eyebrows at the weekend by sending Isak home ahead of a pre-season defeat to Celtic. Howe admitted it was because of the speculation around his future, but he still expects his star forward to remain in the north-east.

"Alex has been really good, he's trained really well and I realise there'll be noise around him," he said. "I'm confident he will be a Newcastle player come the end of the window.

"Your top players are so hard to find, so hard to recruit and so hard to develop. So when you have them, you need to treasure them. Of course we're desperate to keep him as part of our team. I respect a player's career and how short it is."