
Arsenal
Premier League • England
Sociedad ‘well protected’ as Arsenal are sent stark warning on Alexander Isak transfer plan

Arsenal have been warned that any summer push to sign Alexander Isak will not be easy, with Real Sociedad confident they can palm off interest from the Gunners.
The Gunners’ quest to sign a new striker in January ultimately ended in failure as Juventus swooped in to sign Dusan Vlahovic. The striker was Mikel Arteta’s No 1 choice to fill the void left by the ostracized Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
However, it was the Bianconeri who secured the big Serbian’s signature in a huge £67m deal. The whole sorry saga left Arsenal with egg on their faces amid claims from Fiorentina that the Gunners were merely being used.
For Arteta and Co, it’s a case of moving on to fresh targets. That need becomes all the more acute for Arsenal, given the likelihood that Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will both seemingly exit as free agents this summer.
And top of the Gunners’ wishlist appears to be Sociedad striker Isak.
The Real Sociedad forward has been tracked at the Emirates for some time.
However, prising him away from Sociedad will be far from an easy task.
As such, it was recently claimed that Arsenal may be required to pay Isak’s £75m release clause in full if a deal is to be made. Given his contract at Sociedad runs until 2026, the Spanish outfit are under no pressure to sell.
Now Sociedad sporting director Roberto Olabe has come clean on the Gunners’ apparent interest.

Arsenal to go all out for Alexander Isak in the summer
After missing out on a striker in January, Arsenal are set to go all out for Alexander Isak in the summer.
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he insists his side feel ‘well protected’ to retain Isak’s services due to his huge exit clause. And while he says Arsenal have a ‘clear interest in him’, Olabe insists the Gunners are yet to register an official approach.
Olabe further claims that the Sweden striker remains “calm” and “focused” on Real Sociedad. And despite the dip in Isak’s own form, he remains intent on helping Sociedad achieve their goals.
Alexander Isak to help Sociedad achieve aims
Those targets Olabe refers to are on establishing Sociedad as something of a European force.
They are currently through to the next phase of the Europa League. Next up is an exciting tie with RB Leipzig later this month.
And Olabe hopes his side can go deep in the competition following Villarreal’s success last season.
“We want to be recognized through the game. Sociedad have to continue with enthusiasm, enthusiasm. We have to continue crossing this river with those weapons. We want to stay in Europe. Europe is our favourite word.”
He also wants his side, currently seventh, to push on in La Liga to secure another European finish.
“We will try to repeat what we have done in recent seasons, be on the grid to fight for Europe. We want to continue being in Europe.
“However, we recognise the difficulty in doing this. We will try to be the Real and compete with the ocean liners out there, who have bigger resources than ours. We do not want to compare ourselves, but we do want to compete with them.”
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