Why did Alexander Isak choose Borussia Dortmund over Real Madrid?
AIK Solna sporting drector, Björn Wesström, explained on Tuesday the motives behind the young Sweidish striker's choice to join Dortmund, despite being in "advanced talks" with Los Blancos.
Swedish side AIK Solna admitted on Tuesday that they were in "advanced talks" with Real Madrid over 17-year old forward Alexander Isak, but that in the end it was Borussia Dortmund who presented the better offer for all the parties concerned.
"There were some advanced talks with Real, with Isak too,” revealed AIK sports director Björn Wesström, who however acknowledged that the Dortmund deal was not only a good one for the club, but especially "for Alexander Isak and his career," referring to the young’s forward’s better playing opportunities with the Rhine outfit.
"The speculation is seldom wrong"
Neither AIK nor Dortmund, who announced the deal on Monday, have given figures on the operation, although Swedish media speculate on an amount close to 90 million crowns (approximately 9 million euros), which would be a record transfer for the Scandinavian country, surpassing the sale of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Malmo to Ajax back in 2001.
"The speculation is seldom wrong," admitted Wesström at a press conference. "The negotiations were as they usually are, with the difference being that these were dizzy figures."
Isak was a revelation last season in the Allsvenskan, and in just a few months went from being a youth product without a professional contract to beating several young-player records and to making his debut with Sweden (scoring on his 2nd cap in a 6-0 friendly win over Slovakia in 12 January 2017).