Arsenal are closing in on a move for Viktor Gyokeres, which could see the striker make his way to north London in the weeks ahead.
The Gunners are keen to add a centre-forward to their ranks, following a frustrating season in which scoring goals has come at a premium.
Andrea Berta has been tasked with finding the right options to fill that gap, with long-term transfer target Viktor Gyokeres now seeming the most likely to join Arsenal.
Recent reports have stated that Arsenal are ready to “double” Gyokeres’s wages to secure a deal from Sporting CP.
If the Swedish international does join the Gunners, there could be a slightly awkward first meeting with one of his new teammates at London Colney.
Gabriel Magalhaes may have an awkward first encounter with Viktor Gyokeres if he joins Arsenal
Should Viktor Gyokeres join Arsenal this summer, he will be viewed as one of the missing pieces of the puzzle that the side have needed, that goal-scoring striker which has been craved for some time.
The forward may need some time to settle into a new environment, including the chance to meet some of the Arsenal squad and his new teammates.
There is one star, however, that he may meet in a frosty first encounter, which is Gabriel Magalhaes.
The defender came up against the striker once over the past season in the Champions League, with the Brazilian doing well to help Arsenal register a big win in Lisbon over Sporting CP.
He even managed to score from a set-piece, with Gabriel copying Gyokeres’s celebration after finding the back of the net.
It was a moment that the forward didn’t seem to take too well, when speaking in the press after the match about the incident.
That could pave the way for Gabriel having to apologise as part of an awkward first encounter, though it won’t be the first or last time that something like that has happened in football.
Should the move be completed, there’s no doubt that they would make a formidable duo at either end of the pitch going forward.
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What Viktor Gyokeres said about Gabriel Magalhaes copying his celebration
Following Gabriel’s celebration in November, Gyokeres spoke out in the press, hitting back at the Arsenal star with a little jab.
He said, speaking to Viaplay: “He’s welcome to steal it if he can’t create his own celebration! I didn’t know he did that, but it’s fun that he likes my celebration.”
Gabriel did take that celebration into the games that followed, having gone on to score plenty from set-pieces after.
The defender may now go from defending Gyokeres out of a match to playing with him in the space of just a few months.
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