Chelsea have five stars Newcastle may accept in blockbuster Alexander Isak swap deal

Chelsea have reportedly approached Newcastle over a blockbuster transfer for Alexander Isak. However, the Blues are unlikely to pay what would be a British-record £120million fee for the Swede, which would make him more expensive than Blues star Moises Caicedo.

Keen to limit their spending amid their profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) concerns, Chelsea might view a swap deal as an opportunity to drag down Isak’s price while simultaneously offloading a couple of players from their wage bill. Express Sport looks at five stars Chelsea could offer in a swap deal for Isak, who the Daily Mail reports is the subject of interest from the west Londoners.

Armando Broja

Albanian forward Armando Broja is the strongest like-for-like replacement in the Chelsea squad. The Blues academy graduate is likely to be looking for a new home over the summer, with Enzo Maresca widely reported to be searching for forward reinforcements.

Broja enjoyed a prolific loan spell at Southampton in 2021-22 but his career has failed to take off since then. He suffered a horrific knee injury in December 2022 and struggled at Fulham in the second half of last season.

Still only 22, Broja could find excel on Tyneside.

Conor Gallagher

Newcastle have previously been linked with Conor Gallagher. In a PSR-driven world where clubs need to limit their losses, a blockbuster swap deal involving Broja and Gallagher is surely not beyond the realms of possibility.

Chelsea would likely want to wait to receive a huge offer for Gallagher, pricing him at £50m. The 24-year-old is an academy graduate for whom any fee would represent pure profit. However, a swap deal would be beneficial for all parties.

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling finds himself at a crossroads at Stamford Bridge. The potential arrival of a new forward would place him even further down Maresca’s pecking order. The seasoned England veteran has struggled for form since joining Chelsea in 2022.

A move to Newcastle would allow the 29-year-old to kickstart his career.

Noni Madueke

Miguel Almiron has been linked with a departure from Newcastle, leaving them short of right-wing options. Madueke would be the perfect partner in crime to former England U21 team-mate Anthony Gordon at St. James’ Park.

The 22-year-old shone in the last few months of last season, finding form just as Mauricio Pochettino’s methods seemed to finally click. He scored eight Premier League goals last term.

Romeo Lavia

It is unlikely that Chelsea would give the green light to a permanent exit for Lavia just 12 months after spending £45m on the former Southampton and Manchester City midfielder. But a loan spell at Newcastle, who are reported to be looking for midfielders, could be beneficial for his development.

Lavia, 20, spent most of last season out injured and might find regular game time hard to come by at Chelsea this season. That would not be an issue at Newcastle, where he could thrive under Eddie Howe.