Barcelona have reportedly upped the ante in their pursuit of Real Sociedad centre-forward Alexander Isak ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to a report from ESPN, La Liga heavyweights have intensified their pursuit of Real Sociedad’s Swedish striker Alexander Isak as they look to bolster their attack in the summer.
The 21-year-old came through the youth ranks at AIK in his homeland, Sweden. Having shown great potential in the early phase of his career, Isak earned his first big move, joining Borussia Dortmund in 2017. However, in two years at the Bundesliga outfit, he never really quite managed to make it and after a loan stint at Willem II he joined Sociedad in 2019.
Since arriving in Spain, Isak has turned things around for the better. The Swede enjoyed a fine debut campaign with La Real, scoring 16 goals and setting up three more. And he has built on that solid foundation this term, already bagging 12 goals and 2 assists in 29 matches in all competitions.
Barcelona have been monitoring Isak for quite some time now and are now planning on stepping up their pursuit of the Sweden international. The Catalans allowed Luis Suarez to join arch-rivals Atletico Madrid last summer leaving them with just Martin Braithwaite as the only centre-forward at manager Ronald Koeman’s disposal.
The Dane hasn’t been able to perform up to the levels expected of a Barcelona player. Add to it, the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Catalans’ skipper Lionel Messi, who is out of contract at the end of the season means they could most certainly use a new centre-forward before the next season kicks off.
Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland has been touted as a potential target for Barcelona. However, given their financial problems, a move for the Norwegian might prove to be out of reach for them. Isak, to that end, could be a viable alternative for the Blaugrana to consider.
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However, the 21-year-old has a €70 million release clause in his contract with Real Sociedad that runs till 2024. In addition, Borussia Dortmund also have a €30 million buyback option, which they could consider triggering should Haaland end up leaving the club this summer, which would further complicate matters.
In addition to Isak, Barcelona are also looking at Benfica’s Darwin Nunez as well as Sergio Aguero of Manchester City and Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan. Memphis Depay is another player that has been linked with a move to Camp Nou, as per the report. It will be interesting to see if Barcelona go after Isak or pursue alternate targets in the summer.
