Andrea Berta has made his first formal move to solve Arsenal’s striker problem.
The Gunners need to sign a prolific number nine more than any other player this summer, and work has been going on behind the scenes for quite some time now.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been linked with several names over the last few weeks, but no official bid had gone in from Arsenal.
That, if a report is to be believed, has changed now.
Arsenal have made their first formal proposal to sign Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres has been linked with a move to many clubs in the Premier League
The striker has been a revelation since moving to Sporting CP from Coventry City in the summer of 2023. He has been one of the most prolific strikers in the world since his switch to Portugal.
Arsenal have had Gyokeres on their radar for a while, and their interest in the Swedish striker became concrete following Berta’s arrival as the sporting director.
After weeks of speculation, Mais Futebol in Portugal have revealed that a formal proposal has gone in from Arsenal to sign Gyokeres ‘in recent hours’.
The report claims that the North Londoners have tabled a ‘lump sum’ offer under €60 million (£51.2m) for the striker, with bonuses taking that figure higher.
However, the problem for Andrea Berta is that Sporting are not too pleased with the offer and are demanding around €80 million (£68.2m) to let their star man leave.
Despite the unsuccessful proposal, the report says that talks are expected to continue between Arsenal and Sporting in the coming days.
Viktor Gyokeres during a match for Sporting CP.
Photo by Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images
What will Viktor Gyokeres bring to Arsenal?
The simple answer is goals.
Gyokeres, hailed as ‘the best striker in Europe’ by Sporting boss Rui Borges (Metro), has scored nearly 100 goals for Sporting over the last two seasons. That is an outrageous return, and it is why Berta is said to be a big fan of him.
Yes, the Portuguese top flight is significantly inferior to the Premier League, but Gyokeres has also performed in the Champions League – he scored a hat-trick against Manchester City.
There is no guarantee that Gyokeres will be a hit at Arsenal if they sign him, but people can’t dismiss his numbers just because he plays in Portugal.
Signing him is definitely a risk, but we think it’s a risk worth taking for Arsenal.