Arsenal have now pulled out of a deal to sign Viktor Gyokeres after making a £59m bid for the Sporting CP striker earlier this week, according to reports.
The Gunners are finally looking to bring in a new striker this summer after a couple of seasons of fans, former players and pundits urging them to make an investment in a top-class centre-forward.
Season-ending injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz amplified the need for another striker with midfielder Mikel Merino taking on a makeshift role in the final months of the campaign.
Arsenal have been linked with a number of strikers over the past few months as Mikel Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta settle on their top targets.
The Gunners have seemingly settled on Sporting CP’s Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko as their top targets in that position with reports that the former was the subject of a £59m bid from Arsenal earlier this week.
After the reports Sporting CP vice-president Francisco Salgado Zenha told reporters: “He has three more years on his contract. At the moment, there are no offers, he has three more years on his contract. I think the answer has been given. [Sporting’s transfer plans] won’t be any different from last year.
READ: Henry inclusion in ranking of Arsenal’s last nine No.9 signings illustrates Gyokeres desperation
“We want to keep the best players and retain talent. We want to continue to be champions, have competitive teams and fight on all fronts.
“I have been in this role for seven years. In the years when Sporting were champions, we even made fewer sales than in other years … the fact that we are champions gives us a greater ability to retain players and talent.
“Coincidence or not, we have not had to sell any players in those times. Not that we have not received offers, but the market is not under our control, we are always dependent.”
And now reports in Spain claim that Arsenal boss Arteta has ‘ruled out’ a move for Gyokeres and the Gunners have now ‘withdrawn from the bidding’ for the Sweden international.
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It is understood that they have ‘decided to opt for’ Sesko instead and therefore ‘eliminates one of Barcelona’s main competitors in the race for the Swede’ with Chelsea and Manchester United both reportedly interested.
But Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg insists Gyokeres is ‘still high on the list’ at Arsenal despite the latest reports with Sesko now the ‘current focus’.
Plettenberg wrote on X: ‘EXCL | Negotiations between RB Leipzig and Arsenal regarding Benjamin #Sesko have begun! A few days ago, there was already a meeting between the executives Marcel Schäfer and Andrea Berta in London. It remains unclear whether #Arsenal are able to afford the full package.
‘Discussions are currently ongoing about a possible payment structure. The release clause is set at over €80 million. Victor #Gyökeres is still high on the list. The current focus is on Sesko.’
Arsenal have other matters to address over the summer too with Myles Lewis-Skelly out of contract at the Emirates Stadium next summer with Real Madrid lurking.
The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson has confirmed that talks are not “going well” over a new deal and that the Spanish giants are “sniffing around”.
Wilson stated: “They’ve [Arsenal] got to sort out Myles Lewis-Skelly’s contract, which expires next summer.
“I think talks have not been going well from what I hear, and Real Madrid are sort of sniffing around there.”