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Arsenal have edged ahead of Barcelona in the race to sign Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak.
The Swede joined the Spanish club from Borussia Dortmund in July 2019, and has established a name for himself as one of the best young strikers in Europe, scoring 40 goals and seven assists in 110 appearances to date.
That form has attracted notice across the continent, with Barcelona and Arsenal considered the leading candidates to sign a player who has a €90 million (#75 million) release clause in his contract.
Barcelona have just signed Ferran Torres from Manchester City, despite their parlous financial condition, with the acquisition funded by a bank loan. However, they are unable to register him at the moment as they need to trim their wage bill further to comply with Spanish FFP requirements.
And given that their main summer transfer target is believed to be Erling Haaland, that may give the Gunners the upper had when comes to Isak.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.