Arsenal 'urged' to raid Newcastle United for "best centre-forward" after bid for Aston Villa star rejected

Earlier this week, the Gunners made a surprise bid for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, after Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus picked up a season-ending ACL injury. It leaves Arsenal with just one striker, Kai Havertz, in the squad.

Last month we reported that manager Mikel Arteta has essentially been given a blank cheque to sign whoever he wants upfront. Now, pundit and former Arsenal player Paul Merson says they should go after Arteta’s ‘dream’ signing upfront.

The Spanish manager has been pining for one particular striker - who Merson described as being the “best” in the Premier League.

Speaking to SportsKeeda, he suggested that Arsenal should go all-in on signing Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak. He said: “We’re talking about the best centre-forward in the league right now in Alexander Isak. His goals and contributions have been mightily impressive.

“The thing with Isak is that he is consistently good. Some players score 10 goals in 10 games and there would have been two hat-tricks in there. But Isak is someone who scores in every single game and that makes him the best out there.

“There is no doubt that all the top clubs will want to sign him. With Financial Fair Play (FFP) also coming into the picture, it will be interesting to see if Newcastle can hold on to him.

“If Arsenal signed Isak, I would be shocked if they don’t end up winning the Premier League. The same goes for Chelsea, it will seal that top four place and take them to the next level.”