Arsenal have reportedly held new talks with Viktor Gyokeres’ agent over a summer transfer amid links with Manchester United and more.
Gyokeres has gone from a striker who couldn’t get a game at Premier League strugglers Brighton to now being one of the top marksmen in the world.
The Sporting CP star has scored 97 goals and added 28 assists in just 102 appearances for the Portuguese giants, and that has caught the attention of Arsenal, among others.
While Man Utd, Chelsea, and more, are in the race for the Swedish international, the Gunners may have stolen a march on all of them this week.
According to CNN Portugal, Gyokeres’ agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, met with Arsenal’s owners on Wednesday to expedite a transfer to the Premier League side.
The report adds that Arsenal have ‘always’ been the preference of the 27-year-old, who has also received lucrative approaches from Saudi Pro League teams Al-Hilal and Al-Qadisiyah.
It appears to just be a matter of time before Mikel Arteta’s men lodge a bid for the former Coventry City striker, who is also wanted by Juventus, as they try and end their 21-year Premier League title drought.
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Sporting CP president sets record straight on Gyokeres
At a time when Man Utd have seemingly gone from favourites to outsiders when it comes to signing Gyokeres, Sporting CP’s president has cleared one or two things up on how much he could cost.
It had been widely reported that Gyokeres and Sporting had agreed he could leave for £59 million (€70m, $80m) this summer after agreeing to stay put at the start of the 2024/25 campaign.
But Sporting president Frederico Varandas says the club’s only promise to the ex-Swansea City loanee was that they would not demand his full £85m (€100m, $115m) release clause.
He said, via BBC Sport: “I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that. To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres – neither today nor last season.
“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause. He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now. For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m euros or 90m euros.
“In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: ‘It’s not worth us setting a value because I don’t know what will happen in a year’s time. I don’t know if it will be 40m euros, 60m euros or 80m euros. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100m euros.”
Incidentally, Gyokeres has reportedly told the Portuguese team he will never play for them again as a potential bitter fallout looms large.
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