_**If you can’t beat them, join them: the Arsenal defence kept Viktor Gyokeres quiet when the Gunners thrashed Sporting 5-1 in the Champions League last season, but is the striker now set for a move to the Emirates?**_ **\[Valter Gouveia/SPP\]**
THE wait is almost over. Almost. Maybe.
Arsenal are on the brink of agreeing a deal to bring Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres to Ashburton Grove, with the two clubs said to be thrashing out the final payment structure on a transfer worth in the region of £70million.
Supporters will be anxious – desperately hoping that there are no last-gasp glitches and that Arsenal can get the deal over the line.
The 27-year-old scored 54 goals in 52 games in all competitions last season, helping Sporting complete a league and Portuguese Cup double.
And although Gabriel and William Saliba kept Gyokeres quiet when Arsenal smashed Sporting 5-1 in the Champions League back in November, the Sweden international did prove that he’s more than ready for life in England when he hit a hat-trick against Manchester City in Europe.
Eagerly-awaiting Gooners need a new goalscoring hero to fall in love with; and the romance with Gyokeres will flourish fast, especially if the news coming out of Portugal this week that he has agreed to give up £1.7m from his salary in order to facilitate negotiations proves to be true.
Assuming there are no hiccups, a five-year deal for Gyokeres could be wrapped up by the end of the weekend – taking the Gunners summer spending north of £140m… and counting.
So far, the bid to bolster Mikel Arteta’s squad has already seen the club invest £5m on Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, £10m on Brentford captain Christian Norgaard and £55m on defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
And the shopping spree looks far from over with Arsenal also thought to be monitoring Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze, Real Madrid star Rodrygo and Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera.
The Gunners are also said to be very interested in Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, so-much-so that there are rumours the club have now submitted an opening bid of £50m.
One “will he, won’t he sign” sagas finally over is the one for much-sought-after Zubimendi.
Explaining his decision to switch Spain for N5, the player pointed to the potential that lured him to the Emirates.
“Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me,” he told the club’s official website.
“It’s a young, highly-motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are.
“This is a huge moment in my career. It’s the move I was looking for; one I wanted to make. Of course, it’s a big change, but I’m ready to get started.”
The move reunites Zubimendi with former teammate Mikel Merino, who he featured alongside 169 times for Real Sociedad. It also sees him join forces at club level with international teammate David Raya.
The 26-year-old added: “I’m happy to be here with them. I’ve played many games alongside Merino over the years. It’s important because it will make the transition much easier for me, and I’m sure that they will be a great help.”
Meanwhile, Arteta and his first-team squad returned to training on Wednesday ahead of the club’s tour of Asia. Among those putting the players through their paces was former Argentina international Gabriel Heinze, who has joined the club’s coaching team.