Viktor Gyokeres could well be an Arsenal player in the coming days after Andrea Berta reached an agreement with Sporting CP to sign the prolific striker.
The 27-year-old has made it clear that his intention this summer is to move to the Premier League, with the Gunners his number one choice. Arsenal and Sporting have been negotiating over the fee for some time and football.london reported on Sunday that the two parties were growing closer to agreeing a deal.
Communication between the two clubs improved over the weekend, it’s understood, and Sporting later confirmed that an agreement had been reached, with the north Londoners agreeing to pay £54.8million (€63.5million) guaranteed plus £8.6million (€10million) in add-ons, as per The Athletic. It’s been reported that Gyokeres’ agent has waived his fee to help facilitate the deal.
Sporting’s preparations for the 2025/26 season started on Friday but Gyokeres did not turn up to the first pre-season training session. Arsenal, meanwhile, returned to work last week and have spent recent days in La Manga, Spain on a warm-weather training camp. New signings Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard have all already trained with their new teammates and Gyokeres could well join them at some stage this week, if a deal is completed.
football.london understands Mikel Arteta is keen for the club’s new striker – likely Gyokeres – to arrive before the squad jet off to Singapore on Saturday, July 19. There the north Londoners will face AC Milan and Newcastle before flying to Hong Kong ahead of the first North London Derby abroad on July 31.
So, working on this presumption, Gyokeres will likely fly to London in the coming days to complete a medical. Personal terms are already believed to have been agreed with Gyokeres likely signing a five-year deal.
Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 appearances last season and has been one of the most prolific strikers in Europe since joining Sporting from Coventry in 2023. The Swedish international would add extra quality to the Gunners frontline, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus the current striker options.
Noni Madueke could well arrive before Gyokeres, with Arsenal agreeing to pay Chelsea £52million for the English international. It means Arsenal could well have Kepa, Zubimendi, Norgaard, Gyokeres and Madueke through the door before the squad jets off to Asia at the weekend.
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