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Arteta wants a new striker | Getty Images
Arsenal could get the chance to save a boat-load of money in their striker search.
Arsenal could get the chance to land a bargain striker signing as an alternative to Viktor Gyokeres amid failing talks. The Gunners have been locked in talks with Sporting CP over Gyokeres in recent weeks, but they have not been able to reach an agreement.
According to a fresh report from Record, via the Daily Mail, Arsenal’s representatives have now returned to London with negotiations at an impasse. It’s claimed there has been no progress since the weekend, with Sporting standing firm as they look to change the perception of them being a club who sell their best players.
In this case, Sporting are facing a tough situation, with Gyokeres said to be willing to force his way out, refusing to report back for pre-season duty with Sporting this summer. The striker is even said to be willing to give up £1.2million on bonus payments to help push the deal through, but Sporting have a figure they are not willing to budge from.
Arsenal were said to be optimistic, but it’s unclear where they now stand after their representatives left Portugal without an agreement.
Arsenal could get new option
The Gunners may have to start considering other options at some stage, and with Benjamin Sesko looking too pricey, fresh links have emerged involving Juventus frontman Dusan Vlahovic. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Vlahovic has not only been told he can leave the Italian club after failing to agree a new contract, but he could be offered the chance to leave for free.
The Old Lady are desperate to get the striker’s wages off their books, and Vlahovic would reportedly be in favour of a move to Arsenal should he get the chance. Juventus paid £67million for the striker back in 2022, so it would certainly be a radical move for them to cancel his contract.
Pundit Micah Richards once said of Vlahovic on BBC Radio Five Live: “I have watched him a couple of times now. He is lightning. It’s ridiculous. He has got 16 in 18 this season. His left foot is like a wand. I am telling you now, he is everything, he is everything you need.”
One way or another, Arsenal need a striker, and Ian Wright told Premier League Production of that necessity at the end of the season: "I think we'd be a lot closer to Liverpool if we'd had that striker who could take those chances, in the moments where Arsenal needed one - like we needed today in the first half.
"When you look at the possession in the first half and the chances created, a forward who's in there for that particular reason, to try and get on the end of things, is what you miss. We have to start thinking about the summer because you watch a game like that again and you just feel like it's just something missing - options up front."
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