Never would you have thought that a Newcastle United player would have been bought by Barcelona to solve a striking issue in the past 10 years of the club. Newcastle has been home to some astounding strikers in their history, with Alan Shearer, Jackie Milburn, Len White, Hughie Gallacher, Malcolm Macdonald and Peter Beardsley all dominating the top spots for the greatest goalscorers that Newcastle United have ever had.
Currently, the closest any player has come to breaking into the top 10 all-time Newcastle United goalscorers is Callum Wilson, but he is only on 38 goals. However, Wilson is not the player Barcelona want.
Swedish sensation is loved by the Toon
Alexander Isak is the man in question who Barcelona has identified as the striker to replace Robert Lewandowski long term. Lewandowski made his big money move last season, helping Barcelona win La Liga and finish the season with 33 goals across all competitions.
With no signs of slowing down, as he has three goals in his first five league games, age is slowly catching up to Lewandowski, who turned 35 in August. However, Xavi is keen to find a long-term replacement now, and it looks like it will be the fan favourite Isak.
How well has Isak done for Newcastle United?
Having not broken their transfer record in 14 years, Micheal Owen in 2005, Newcastle United have since been splashing the cash after the club were taken over, and Isak is one of those players who has smashed the transfer record. Currently, Isak is the most expensive player of all time for the North East side and is looking to establish himself as a Newcastle legend as he has ten league goals to his name.
It is not just his ability to find the net but also his pace, comfortability on the ball, and the willingness to glide past players; his manager, Eddie Howe, even compared him to France legend Theirry Henry after the Everton game last season.
With two goals already in the league, Isak is fighting to be the main man and ensure fans continue to sing his chant!
Could Barcelona pull off the deal?
The lure of Barcelona could be too much. Having played in Spain for Real Sociedad, Isak is familiar with how La Liga is and with the history behind a great club like Barcelona, they could convince the Swedish international to join the ranks.
The deal would more than likely happen at the end of the season as opposed to January, but when Barcelona want a man, then they usually get them!