Shock double swoop 'planned' for £140m-rated Newcastle United and Chelsea duo

Newcastle United star Alexander Isak is reportedly attracting interest from Barcelona as the La Liga giants consider a shock double swoop on the Premier League.

The Sweden international has been in outstanding form in recent months after scoring ten goals in his last 11 Premier League games to help Eddie Howe’s side push towards the European places. Isak has carried the weight of United’s attacking three during that time after Callum Wilson spent the last two months on the sidelines - although there are high hopes the England striker will return to contention over the next ten days after he recovered from a pectoral injury.

Isak’s form has received widespread acclaim and Magpies boss Howe underlined the importance of the former Real Sociedad in the aftermath of his impressive display in the recent 4-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking after the game, Howe said: “We are trying to build a team, we are trying to grow everything, really, upwards and to do that as quickly as possible and as efficiently as you can, you need to keep your best players, otherwise you enter a different period where you go into transition and you have to start again. Your top players, the elite ones, are so difficult to recruit, they’re so difficult to find, so when we get them, we’ve got to try to keep them.

“For me, he’s (Isak) so exciting to work with, he’s got so many facets to his game we can explore and try to make better. First and foremost, he has the undeniable quality that he wants to score, he needs to score – that’s a great characteristic for any striker to have. But he also plays for the team, he doesn’t play for himself, which is rare. You can see him linking play and doing things that the team needs, not just what he needs. I thought it was a great performance from him today.”

Isak’s resurgence has also brought suggestions he could move on during the summer transfer window and Arsenal have been linked with a big money move for his services at the end of the season. However, Spanish outlet AS have now suggested Barcelona are ‘pursuing’ Isak but may be put off by Newcastle’s reported asking price of over £100m.

The Catalan giants are also reportedly keen on Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka after they looked to secure a deal for the former Aston Villa man prior to his move to Stamford Bridge.