Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Viktor Gyokeres, although the deal isn’t yet entirely agreed with Sporting CP.
The Gunners are set to fly to Singapore for their pre-season tour of Asia on Saturday, and are yet to add a striker to Mikel Arteta’s squad this summer.
A deal in principle has been agreed for Gyokeres, although minor details are still to be sorted, with Sporting said to be making Andrea Berta’s life difficult in negotiations.
Arsenal will pay an initial £55 million, with a consensus on the nature of the £8 million in performance-related add-ons yet to be reached.
Arsenal are ‘not happy’ with Sporting in Viktor Gyokeres negotiations
Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 games across all competitions for Sporting last season, and thus, it’s not surprising that the Portuguese giants have been reluctant to sell their talisman.
The Lisbon club have been meticulous in their negotiations, fighting every minute detail, to try and get the best possible deal.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, this petulance has frustrated Arsenal, who are unhappy with the way in which Sporting have conducted themselves throughout the negotiations.
“Just to give you the context, the negotiation is still ongoing, the conversation is still ongoing,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“Arsenal are still working on the deal, not happy with the situation because Sporting keep fighting on every single detail, so it remains a story we have to follow on a daily basis, but, for sure, Viktor Gyokeres is not changing his mind.
“Even when the Sporting President came to the player with the prospect of Saudi clubs ready to offer him crazy money, the answer of Gyokeres remains the same, he wants to go to Arsenal.”
Is Viktor Gyokeres the right signing for Arsenal?
There are ‘internal doubts’ about Gyokeres and his ability to hit the ground running in the Premier League.
The Primeira Liga is roughly equivalent to League One, with the two divisions’ wage bills roughly reflecting each other, aside from the top clubs.
That said, Gyokeres’ numbers speak for themselves, and he’s arguably the best player available on the market for a reasonable fee.
| Viktor Gyokeres’ Primeira Liga Statistics 2024/25 | |
| Appearances | 33 |
| Goals | 39 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Shots per 90 | 4.08 |
| Expected Goals per 90 | 0.99 |
| Key Passes per 90 | 1.96 |
| Expected Assists per 90 | 0.22 |
Accumulating 1.21 expected goals and assists per 90 minutes, Gyokeres’ output in Portugal was astonishing, while he also impressed in the Champions League.
Even if these numbers drop considerably, he’s still likely to produce at a rate that sees him provide value for the fee Arsenal have paid for him.
Arsenal needed to add shots and goal threat to their team, and they’ve undoubtedly managed this.
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