Arsenal are ready to move on from their pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres - due to Sporting CP's demands for the player - at least according to the latest reports from Portugal.
The Gunners are looking to bolster their attacking options during the summer window, which officially re-opens on Monday. Gyokeres is one of the players of interest to Arsenal, with his goal-scoring exploits with Sporting catching the eye right across Europe.
They received a boost in their hopes of signing him this weekend with the forward reportedly rebuffing advances from Manchester United. The Red Devils were reported to have held talks over a possible move for the striker that would see him reunited with former manager Ruben Amorim.
However, it has been claimed that Gyokeres' representatives have told United that he does not wish to join the club. Instead, Arsenal is seen as his preferred option with the club playing in the Champions League next season.
While that will be a boost to Arsenal, negotiations with Sporting still need to be done, and it's not as easy as they might have hoped. It has previously been claimed that there was a gentleman's agreement between Gyokeres and Sporting that they would let him go for a fee of around £60million this summer.
However, a change of stance has seemingly created tension between the striker and the club. Record report that Sporting are now looking for a fee of €80million (£68m), and that has caused Arsenal to 'freeze' their pursuit.
The report says that Gyokeres is no longer seen as their first choice striker target - with Arsenal believing that the asking price is too expensive. The Gunners have instead turned their attention to Red Bull Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko while, also, keeping an eye on Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins.
As previously reported by football.london, Sesko is emerging as the first choice option for Arsenal with figures unanimous that the striker is the ideal player for Mikel Arteta's side. The forward is five years younger that Gyokeres, and Arsenal attempted to sign him last summer, only for the player to sign a new contract with the German club instead.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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