Arsenal have entered ‘advanced talks’ with Sporting over striker Viktor Gyokeres.
The Gunners’ lack of a striker is well known, but became even more glaring last season when both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were injured at similar times.
It left the likes of midfielder Mikel Merino having a go up front; a gamble that paid off to some extent, but is not the recipe for long-term success.
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Arsenal close in on Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres salutes Sporting fans after their Taca de Portugal victory
Gyokeres is reportedly ready to leave Sporting for a new challenge(Image credit: Getty Images)
Gyokeres is one of Europe’s most talked-about strikers this summer, having somehow notched 54 goals in 52 appearances for Sporting last term.
The Portuguese side are holding out for as much as they can get for the Sweden international, which has led Gyokeres to push heavily for an exit, encouraging interested parties like Arsenal.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looks to have missed out on this occasion
Mikel Arteta may finally get the striker he's needed for so long(Image credit: Getty Images)
It appears Mikel Arteta’s side are close, according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, with the club feeling that they are “touching the final line”.
Tavolieri goes on to reveal that Gyokeres has already agreed a five-year deal with the north London side, with just the club-to-club negotiations to resolve.
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With this update, the journalist also confirmed that the news likely brings an end to Arsenal’s pursuit of RB Leipzig frontman Benjamin Sesko.
There has been widely reported interest from Manchester United in Gyokeres, perhaps on account of former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim’s presence in the Old Trafford dugout, but it has been reported since last month that the striker’s preference is Arsenal.
Ruben Amorim gives Viktor Gyokeres a handshake at Sporting
It seems a potential reunion for Ruben Amorim and Gyokeres is slipping away(Image credit: Getty Images)
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Arsenal getting Gyokeres over the line would finally put to bed their seemingly never-ending search for a striker, a profile they seem to have bitterly lacked in previous campaigns.
Question marks remain about whether the Swedish striker can replicate his blistering goalscoring form in the Premier League, but the fact it would not be his first gig in English football goes in his favour in that respect.
Any transfer comes with risk; you never truly know how a player will react to a new environment, around new colleagues, but with Gyokeres, there should be plenty for Arteta to work with.
Gyokeres is valued at €75m, according to Transfermarkt.