Arsenal can get massive £100m transfer favour from Chelsea

Arsenal have fallen short once again. Not just in the Premier League this year, but in the Champions League too, when they looked on course to make the final and even win it.

The Gunners dumped reigning champions Real Madrid out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage and gave themselves a massive opportunity to go all the way as a result.

However, they came unstuck against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final and with the Gunners likely to finish second in the Premier League for the third season in a row, it is once again a campaign of what ifs.

The big problem against PSG was chance conversion. Arsenal actually created more xG (expected goals) than the French side over the two legs, but ended up losing 3-1 on aggregate.

Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus did not help, with Mikel Merino having to play as a makeshift striker, not just against PSG but for plenty of other matches too.

It has exposed Arsenal's transfer failures in not signing another forward either in the last summer transfer window or in January. There was a bid for Ollie Watkins in January, which did not bear fruit, while the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres were heavily linked without completing a move.

The emphasis this summer will be on rectifying that mistake and the dream signing would surely be Alexander Isak from Newcastle.

He is another who has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, though his £100million-plus price tag has always been a sticking point.

If Arsenal want to win titles, however, they are going to have to put their money where their mouth is and make a striker signing akin to the big-money they spent on Declan Rice.

Isak has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt and would be the perfect addition to Mikel Arteta's side. And while Newcastle will not want to part with their star Swede, they may have no choice.

And Chelsea can actually help Arsenal in this regard.

Much will depend on whether or not Newcastle qualify for the Champions League next season, with the Magpies currently fourth in the Premier League table and well set.

However, their position is precarious. Chelsea are fifth, level on points with them and Nottingham Forest are just two points adrift in sixth, with Aston Villa three points back in seventh.

And Newcastle's next game is against Chelsea on Sunday. Were the Blues to win at St. James' Park, they would move above the Magpies in the table and, with Nottingham Forest going to already relegated Leicester City on Sunday too, if they were to win, Newcastle would drop out of the Champions League places with only two games of the season to go.

Chelsea can do Arsenal a massive favour in trying to sign Isak by beating Newcastle on Sunday, while also improving their Champions League hopes.

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