Viktor Gyokeres demonstrated his burning desire to join Arsenal after the Sporting CP star is said to have given up £1.7million of his salary in order to push through the transfer.
The striker has been entangled in a transfer saga all summer after yet another record-breaking season with the Portuguese champions as he scored 54 goals in 52 games on the way to a league and cup double.
Despite interest from Manchester United with Ruben Amorim reportedly keen to reunite with his former player, it was Arsenal who emerged as front-runners for Gyokeres' signature with the Swede adamant on move to the Emirates Stadium.
The desire to become a Gunner is so much that the 27-year-old has agreed to sacrifice £1.7m of his salary in order to help facilitate a move to north London, according to Portuguese outlet Record.
The newspaper also reported that Arsenal are willing to part ways with £60.4m to sign Gyokeres which remains inferior to Sporting's demand of £69m. Despite the gap between the figures, the striker is said to have already agreed personal terms on a five-year contract with the English club.
Viktor Gyökeres is close to achieving his dream move to Arsenal as discussions between clubs begin to advance
Viktor Gyokeres is keen to join the Premier League side this summer (Image: Pedro Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
A deal could very well be in the offing soon as according to CNN Portugal, a delegation from the English side made the trip to Lisbon to work on the final details of the transfer with Sporting.
Perhaps confident in his future finally becoming clear after months of speculation, Gyokeres reportedly has his bags packed ready for a new adventure in England after two historic years in Portugal.
Gyokeres' relationship with the Sporting hierarchy has soured heavily in recent weeks after club president Frederico Varandas accused the striker and his agent of threatening to never play for the club again in order to force them to sell him.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta giving instructions
Mikel Arteta is closing in on the Swedish striker (Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Gyokeres' frustration is said to come from a gentleman's agreement he agreed with Sporting last year regarding a set fee that would allow him to depart the club this summer. In late June, Varandas went on the offensive and refused to say how much money it'll take for him to sell his star man.
"I'm not going to say what the price is," he said to O Jogo. "The player knows what it is. I can tell you that Viktor won't leave for €60 million plus €10m. He won't. He just won't. These players do not have the market value or the quality of Viktor, in my opinion. They [Cunha and Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo] are being negotiated for values of around €75m."
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