Arsenal have sent some of their executives to meet with Hasan Cetinkaya – the agent of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres – in Lisbon, according to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha.
The Gunners want to recruit the services of the Sweden international this summer and have submitted a formal transfer offer of €70 million plus bonuses to his agent.
Cetinkaya will then meet with Sporting president Frederico Varandas to table the bid Arsenal have brought.
The North London club are also offering Gyokeres a €12m signing-on fee and a five-year contract worth €7m per season.
The 26-year-old was involved in 67 goals in 52 games for the Portuguese top-flight club this term after weighing in with 54 goals and 13 assists, and Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is a huge admirer of his abilities in the final third.
However, the Gunners are not the only Premier League club keen on recruiting his services, with Chelsea and Manchester United also in the race.
Following the concrete move from Arsenal, Varandas is hoping more clubs will join them in the pursuit of their most prized asset so as to drive up the price, with Bayern Munich also looking at him.
The Bundesliga giants have already inquired about the terms to get a transfer for Gyokeres done, but there has been no concrete proposal from them so far.
The Gunners are desperate to sign a new number 9 heading into next season after a lack of quality attacking depth saw them miss out on the Premier League title and a place in the final of the Champions League, and the Sporting hitman will be perfect for them.
However, they may need to offer more than €70m to get him as a bidding war is expected in the coming days and weeks, and manager Mikel Arteta will hope he does not end up missing out on such a fine striker.