Arsenal have a great chance to hand Alexander Isak an audition until the end of the season thanks to Luka Jovic's potential move to the Emirates.
The Real Madrid forward has been offered to the Gunners this month according to Fabrizio Romano, who adds talks are not at an advanced stage.
The news comes about after the north London side’s rejection by Dusan Vlahovic who looks set to join Juventus instead, according to various reports.
Arsenal must now look at other targets with Isak being at the top of that list according to The Athletic, however, the reported £75 million release clause means he needs to perform until the end of the season to justify his price tag.
Edu was pushing hard to sign Vlahovic, football.london understood, but the club could not persuade the Serbian striker to join the club despite him being the number one target.
Signing a striker in January or the summer transfer window is a necessity for the Gunners who are extremely short in the attacking positions, and need more quality to solidify a place in the UEFA Champions League for the upcoming seasons.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has led the side in attack, but with his departure seemingly imminent due to a breakdown in relations with Mikel Arteta after a series of disciplinary issues, it has meant that Alexandre Lacazette is now tasked with spearheading the side.
But this is certainly not a long-term solution, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season, which has created a cloud over his future at the club.
Isak is equipped with bags of potential and will without a doubt be one of the best strikers in football over upcoming years, but he is still yet to justify such a high price tag in the January transfer window.
He currently plays for Real Sociedad and has scored 40 goals in 110 appearances for the La Liga side.
By the end of the season, Edu will certainly have a more clear idea if Isak is ready to make the step to the Premier League, as the 22-year-old currently has the pressure to get his team into the Champions League places next season and will have to battle with footballing giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to do so.
Isak will also be playing in the knockout stages of the Europa League which will give Arsenal the perfect opportunity to see how he performs at crucial moments for his side.
In the meantime, Jovic would be an excellent stop-gap signing whilst Isak auditions to prove that he is ready to lead the Arsenal attack immediately.
Jovic is more experienced than Isak, especially when you consider that he scored 27 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt during the 2018/19 season.
The Bundesliga side had a historic run to the Europa League semi-final before eventually being knocked out by Chelsea in a penalty shootout.
Jovic's failure to adapt to life at Real Madrid should prevent Arsenal from trying to agree on a permanent transfer, but a loan move presents a minimal risk until the Gunners can agree on a deal for Isak, which will be easier in the summer transfer window as there is more time for negotiations.
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