As things stand, Arsenal are pressing on with their bid to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.
Viktor Gyokeres has seemingly prevailed as the striker of choice for the Gunners, a number nine who Andrea Berta has been pushing since he arrived at the Emirates.
Gyokeres has agreed to join Arsenal and it’s now simply down to Berta to reach an agreement with Sporting over a fee.
And although the Gunners might still be confident of securing a deal, there are now some reports that negotiations are stalling between the two clubs.
Arsenal refused to pay over the odds for Benjamin Sesko, and therefore, there might be one or two concerned supporters in N5 until Gyokeres is pictured on the club’s website.
Newcastle’s Ollie Watkins interest might push Arsenal to sign Viktor Gyokeres
That being said, Newcastle United might now inadvertently put more pressure on Arsenal’s pursuit of Gyokeres.
As mentioned, Arsenal’s move to sign Sesko looks to be off, and by all accounts the striker will stay with Leipzig until next season unless something dramatically changes.
As a result, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins might now be Arsenal’s go-to if negotiations to sign Gyokeres broke down.
Ollie Watkins celebrates during Aston Villa's match against Southampton in the Premier League.
Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
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Arsenal are still interested in Watkins, but they are certainly not alone.
According to Mail Sport, Newcastle have discussed a move for Watkins over the past fortnight.
Newcastle wanted to sign Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion before Chelsea swooped in for the Brazilian, and Eddie Howe’s side are still in the market for a number nine.
Following the departure of Callum Wilson upon the expiration of his contract, Howe needs backup for Alexander Isak.
And whilst Newcastle’s move for Anthony Elanga is a commendable one, the club will still be on the hunt for a striker as well.
Watkins might be a better signing than Gyokeres for Arsenal
Although any Newcastle swoop for Watkins still seems a long way off, any imminent move could put the pressure on Arsenal to conclude a deal for Gyokeres pretty swiftly.
If Newcastle were to take a step ahead in the race for Watkins and negotiations for Gyokeres broke down, Arsenal might then be left with their top three striker targets all unavailable for different reasons.
As stated, that’s still far from happening, but until a deal for Gyokeres is completed, any rival move for Watkins probably wouldn’t be welcome from Mikel Arteta’s point of view.
Perhaps some Arsenal fans might even protest that they’d prefer a move for Watkins given his Premier League experience.
But if Gyokeres hits the ground running in the English top flight and silences his doubters early on, he’s definitely the kind of signing which could be transformative for Arsenal.