Alexander Isak can't stop scoring and Newcastle can lay claim to the best striker in Europe for the first time since the days of Alan Shearer.
When they signed Shearer in 1996, they spent a world record amount of money. If they were to cash in on Isak now, given his quality and age, they would at least eclipse the British record fee and probably come quite close to the world record fee.
The Swede had a number of clubs in his area when he made his name at Real Sociedad, but Newcastle chose to take action a few years ago and are reaping the benefits. Isak is in stunning form, as is his club, and he scored for the eighth game in a row as they beat Wolves on Wednesday night.
That puts him past Shearer, whose best scoring streak was just seven games. Isak is on course to have the best goalscoring season of his career as Newcastle look for another top-four finish, but they are not naive to the interest in their frontman.
Eddie Howe has praised his player and last month it was reported that the Magpies wanted a massive £150million before considering parting ways with Isak. The striker still has a number of years left on his contract, meaning Newcastle have a firm grip on his future.
The Newcastle boss recently said: “There's a lot more to come from him. It's our job to help him make that happen. Of course, the most important responsibility is that Alex maintains his focus, ignores the compliments and continues to help the team not be selfish. It's about Newcastle and he's playing his part.”
Isak himself has kept his head down despite the compliments flying his way and has given no indication he wants to leave, but a number of European heavyweights are lining up and could stop Newcastle's momentum by compromising their leading position to take.
Arsenal are the Premier League team most strongly linked to Isak, and their need is perhaps greater than anyone else's. They have struggled to find a productive frontman, but Isak operates right in front of them and has scored numerous goals against the Gunners.
The problem will inevitably be the price tag, as Newcastle are more likely to sell to a foreign rival than a domestic one. Chelsea have been keen in the past, but they hesitated when the Magpies made it clear how much they wanted Isak.
Manchester United will always be linked with the biggest names and they have not seen the return they might have liked from Rasmus Hojlund. With Ruben Amorim now in the building, talk of a move by Sporting Lisbon hitman Viktor Gyokeres is all the talk, but if that doesn't happen, Isak could become a bigger target.
A number of European heavyweights have their front lines well-filled at the moment and Isak, who is clearly a number 9, should be played through the middle if he is to be most effective. Bayern Munich have committed to Harry Kane for the time being, while Real Madrid are still trying to get the most out of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jnr and are unlikely to see another name thrown into the mix.
PSG seems the most likely team to take action. Their wealth in Qatar means no player is ever off limits and despite the arrival of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli in January, they are yet to properly replace the goals left when Mbappe moved to Spain and Isak would go a long way to fill that gap. fill.
Barcelona's finances are not what they used to be, while Robert Lewandowski, even though he is getting older, is also in charge. They have some young talent they want to keep, but Isak's price tag effectively rules them out.
Newcastle have been able to invest in talent since the Saudi-led takeover and retain it so far. Despite major clubs having links with Isak, Bruno Guimarães and Anthony Gordon have all remained at St James' Park and remain key figures.
Their biggest test will likely be their resistance when a member of Europe's elite – a group they long to be part of – comes knocking on Isak's door. The player's stock is rising at a rapid pace and Newcastle will need to prosper at the same rate if they are to continue fulfilling his ambitions.
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