Arsenal remain in talks to sign Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, despite the Portuguese club's president's recent comments, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas has insisted that Gyokeres will face fines after he went on strike earlier this week and opted against returning for pre-season training. Varandas confirmed that if nobody meets what they believe is fair market value, Sporting will be 'very comfortable with that for the next three years'.
There is work to do on Gyokeres, but Arsenal have secured the signings of Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi, and Kepa Arrizabalaga already this window.
Arsenal Still Working on Gyokeres Deal
Situation described as 'tense'
viktoy gyokeres
Speaking on his YouTube channel on Saturday night, Romano has confirmed that Sporting always knew Gyokeres wouldn't be returning to training days ago after recent comments from their president...
"What I can tell to Arsenal fans tonight [Saturday], many of you asking me what's going on with Gyokeres, is that Gyokeres always had this plan not to show up to training. So this is not something that Sporting understood today [Saturday]. They already knew days ago, more than one week ago, from Gyokeres directly to the president, he said, 'I'm not coming for training. I only want to go to Arsenal.'"
Romano has also suggested that the Gunners are still working on a deal to bring Gyokeres to the Emirates Stadium, despite the situation being described as 'tense'...
"There is still a tense situation, but Arsenal keep working on the deal. All parties want to win their own war in this story. But for sure, Viktor Gyokeres maintains his point. He wants to go to Arsenal. He has an agreement with Arsenal on five year contract, and so he's not planning to stay at Sporting this summer or for the next three years. This is the position of Gyokeres. Sporting maintain their position in public and in private, but Arsenal, behind the scenes, keep working on the Gyokeres deal. So now guys, you understand that the situation is quite tense, but Arsenal are still working on it."
Viktor Gyokeres' Primeira Liga statistics - Sporting squad ranking
Stats
Appearances
Goals
Key Passes Per Game
Shots Per Game
Dribbles Per Game
Match rating
It certainly doesn't feel like a simple deal for Arsenal, considering Sporting's stubborn stance on their player, but it's no surprise that the Portuguese club are holding out for as much as possible. The former Coventry City man has been scoring goals for fun since his move to Portugal, whether that be domestically or in the Champions League too.
The Gunners are in need of a new centre-forward ahead of the 2025/2026 campaign, and it looks as though Gyokeres could be their man if they are willing to pay the fee, with the Swedish international already agreeing to the move.
Sign up to The GIVEMESPORT Report to get exclusive daily updates from Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs, Dean Jones and Tom Bogert sent straight to your inbox.
Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres celebrating Related
Sporting CP President Slams Arsenal Target Viktor Gyokeres’ Pre-Season No-Show
The President of Sporting CP has spoken out against Viktor Gyokeres' behaviour, following the striker's pre-season absence.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 13/07/25.