Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Crystal Palace - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 3, 2022 Newcastle United's Alexander Isak reacts after the match REUTERS/Scott Heppell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Newcastle United could reportedly propose a shock swap deal this summer involving Alexander Isak and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
The Lowdown: Vlahovic links
Newcastle have reportedly sent scouts to watch Vlahovic in action ahead of a potential move this summer.
Since signing for Juve for a reported £66m in January last year, the striker has scored twenty goals and made a further six assists in total across competitions, including 15 goal contributions so far this season (Transfermarkt).
The St James’ Park outfit paid a similar fee to sign Isak from Real Sociedad last summer, splashing out a club-record £63m on the Sweden international, but it seems as if they may be growing impatient with him already.
The Latest: Swap deal?
As per Italian news outlet Calciomercatoweb, Vlahovic’s future in at the Old Lady is ‘in the balance’, after a run of poor form that has not seen him score since February.
As such, the North East club could propose a shock swap deal that would see Vlahovic move to Tyneside and Isak go in the other direction.
However, Juventus do not seem to be interested in this potential deal, as they would prefer to sell the Serbian for cash only.
The Verdict: Avoid!
This is a deal that Eddie Howe‘s team should really be trying to avoid at all costs.
Of course, Vlahovic has shown how deadly of a striker that he can be in the past, having netted an impressive 49 times in 108 matches in total for Fiorentina before his move to Juve.
However, he is suffering from a lack of form at the moment, and is unproven in the Premier League.
On the other hand, Isak is starting to find his feet at the Magpies, with Howe recently hailing his ‘outstanding‘ performance in the 2-1 win at home to Wolves in the top flight last weekend:
“Before he got the concussion he was in really good form in training. I thought he was outstanding [against Wolves] in every respect. Physically and technically he was very good. Hopefully that’s the start of a really good run for him.”
The 23-year-old has been unlucky with injuries this season, but when he has been fit, he has still managed to score four goals and make one assist in 14 appearances over all competitions.
Nonetheless, if he can put his injury problems aside, Isak could lead the line for the Toon for years to come.
About the Author
