Alexander Isak not in Arsenal’s radar, Man City monitoring Bruno

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, and despite ongoing speculation, Newcastle forward Alexander Isak has not generated significant interest from Arsenal.

The club’s focus seems to be on strengthening the central striker position and the midfield, although Ornstein revealed he’s not heard strong whispers linking the Gunners with Isak at least for now.

Ornstein went on to explain that the arrival of Kai Havertz could influence Arsenal’s strategies, especially if Gabriel Jesus remains with the team. Ornstein thinks Arsenal could be more geared toward considering making adjustments and bringing in transfers to bolster their midfield depending on whether Declan Rice is utilized as a number six or a number eight going forward.

Obviously, potential departures could influence Arsenal's transfer strategy, as Ornstein also pointed out. The insider reported that it’s possible Arsenal enter the market looking for a left-back reinforcement and possibly at goalkeeper if Aaron Ramsdale departs the club too.

Outside of the capital, Manchester City’s interest in Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes has been highlighted by the Daily Mail of late, linking the club with the Brazil international and showing serious interest ahead of the summer transfer market.

The midfielder, who can play both deeper and higher up the field, has caught the attention of City’s Pep Guardiola but any formal move is contingent on player exits from the club in order to abide by the FFP and Premier League financial rules.

City’s interest in West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta remains strong despite a stalled deal last year due to an FA investigation into alleged betting offenses, which is still ongoing. There is a chance City ends up trying to make a cheaper move for Paqueta instead of ponying up the money needed to extract Bruno from Newcastle.

Guimaraes, it’s worth pointing out, has a release clause set at £100 million in his contract, which could make the operation easier to pull off as negotiations would be avoided but still hard on a purely financial basis.