Arsenal step up interest in Viktor Gyokeres as negotiations with Sporting intensify ahead of preseason
Arsenal are advancing in talks with Sporting over the signing of Viktor Gyokeres.
A deal has not been finalized for the Swedish striker, but it appears he has emerged as Arsenal’s favored option in a summer where they have also been in negotiations with RB Leipzig for Benjamin Sesko. The Bundesliga side have held firm on their price tag for the young Slovenian striker, believed to be $94 million.
Meanwhile the price tag for Gyokeres has been the subject of significant consternation between club and player, Sporting president Frederico Varandas insisting last month that he would not allow “blackmail and insults” to force a sale below the prize the Portuguese giants wanted. So far Arsenal and Sporting have not agreed a fee but with Gyokeres focused on a move to north London and coach Mikel Arteta eager to add to his squad with preseason to start next week, talks could accelerate to a conclusion quickly.
Gyokeres’ candidacy for the vacancy at center forward that Arsenal have long been trying to fill is understood to have been championed by sporting director Andrea Berta, who arrived in March. The Gunners had long been tracking the 27-year-old, scouting him in person when he was firing Coventry City to the Championship play off final in 2023. That fine scoring form continued in Portugal, where Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 games, winning successive league titles with Sporting.
Such form made for an intriguing counterbalance to Sesko, five years younger and playing in a more competitive league but with 39 in 87 since leaving Salzburg for RB Leipzig. It has not yet been confirmed that Arsenal have dropped their interest in the Slovenian, who CBS Sports revealed last month is wanted by Saudi side Al-Hilal. Sesko is understood to have been prioritizing a move to the Premier League.
