Arsenal and Manchester United have been handed a huge boost in their hopes of landing Viktor Gyokeres as Sporting CP have reduced their asking price by a whopping £25million, according to reports.
It comes as both teams have been looking at another centre-forward in the market, with the Swedish striker being a standout for the past year in Portugal.
Arsenal’s transfer links with Gyokeres are no great surprise as Mikel Arteta has struggled to add a clinical option upfront over the past few years.
Both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have been fine options, but sometimes lack that ruthless edge in the tightest of matches.
The Gunners aren’t alone in their interest though as Manchester United eye a transfer for Gyokeres, with Ruben Amorim recently managing him at Sporting before making the switch to Old Trafford.
With that in mind, both Arsenal and United have received something of a boost for Gyokeres before the January transfer window.
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What is Viktor Gyokeres transfer price for Arsenal and Man United?
Gyokeres has a release clause on his Sporting contract, which the side were hoping to have triggered in case of an exit.
That was rated at roughly €100million (£83million), though there were no suitors for the centre-forward willing to trigger that clause.
With another few months of continual goalscoring, that approach may have changed, though so too have the demands of Sporting.
According to The Athletic, the Portuguese outfit are now willing to do business at around €70million (£58million), which is a reduction of roughly £25million.
That huge dip in price could now tempt teams to make a move, though the fine details will have to be worked out with agreement to Sporting rather than if the clause is triggered.
One advantage, though, is there is a chance to work with add-ons and other figures to spread the cost rather than pay it up front.
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Viktor Gyokeres verdict on release clause
The reduction in price may not only be a boost for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, but for Gyokeres too in any hope of making a move.
The Swedish striker admitted earlier in the season that the high price of his release clause may have put many clubs off from securing a deal.
Speaking to Aftonbladet in September, the forward said: “They (Sporting) wanted most of the starting players to stay and held us tight. That’s how it turned out, but I enjoy Sporting very much, so for me it was no problem to stay.
“Of course you want to play at the highest level. It (the release clause) was probably a bit too much because nothing came of it.
“Of course, it’s a lot of money. But we’ll see what happens next window… I enjoy myself very much in Sporting and can’t complain about anything, so it’s absolutely no problem for me to stay. Of course, you aim to test other leagues and a higher level, but I have no stress.”
It remains to be seen whether Gyokeres will move to the Emirates Stadium, but there’s a huge window ahead for the forward.
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