Real Madrid Transfer News: Alexander Isak Talks, Bid Rejected Amid Fresh Rumours

Real Madrid have held talks with 17-year-old striker Alexander Isak, as per Marca (h/t Football Espana), despite a bid of €10.8 million being rejected by his club AIK, as reported by Expressen (h/t Football Espana).

The Swedish forward, who only turned 17 in September, has scored 10 goals in 24 league games already this season. Chelsea, Liverpool, Leicester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have all been scouting Isak, according to Marca (h/t Football Espana), but Real's discussions with the player's representatives suggests that they are the front-runners.

Isak is 6'2" tall and has already drawn comparisons with Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His AIK team-mate Chinedu Obasi sparked talk of a resemblance, telling Fotbollskanalen (h/t Lee Thomas-Mason for Metro): "If he concentrates and continues as he is, I think he can become Sweden’s next Ibrahimovic."

Sam Tighe says he is more in the mould of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang than Ibrahimovic: 

The biggest stumbling block for Real is their current transfer embargo, which forbids them from registering any new players until January 2018, but Expressen (h/t Football Espana) reported that the club are very confident that the ban will be overturned.

If Real are cleared to sign new players in the coming transfer windows, Isak would be expected to take a back seat and begin his development in the Castilla squad, as per Carlos Carpio for Marca. Should Real's embargo be upheld, he could be purchased and immediately sent out on loan.

With so much competition for the young Swede, Expressen (h/t Football Espana) reported Zinedine Zidane is hoping that the club's rich history of developing young players will persuade Isak to move to the Santiago Bernabeu. 

Young players like Martin Odegaard, Federico Valverde and Sergio Diaz have been snapped up by Real Madrid in similar circumstances.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Isak's contract expires in 18 months time, meaning that a move to one of Europe's biggest clubs is likely, but Carpio reported that Pep Guardiola's considerable pulling power could swing things in Manchester City's favour. He signed both Leroy Sane, 20, and 19-year-old Gabriel Jesus in the summer, highlighting Guardiola's ability to persuade youngsters to join his project.

Real Madrid are not just in the hunt for future stars, however. Their pursuit of Aubameyang took an interesting turn on Wednesday when the Dortmund star reiterated his desire to play for Los Blancos, as per beIN Sports (h/t Alex Richards for the Mirror).

It would take a complete reversal of Real's transfer embargo for either Aubameyang or Isak to join the club any time soon, meaning Zidane will have to make do with his current squad until at least the end of the season.

Either way, it is clear the Real Madrid manager is not just focused on immediate success. This is clearly a coach who wants to build for the future.