Arsenal have been handed a major boost in their efforts to sign Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, as Barcelona sporting director Deco has confirmed that his side are not pursuing the Swede.
The Gunners seem to have positioned themselves at the head of the queue to capture the former Coventry City man, who should be allowed to leave Sporting for between £60m and £70m this summer.
Mikel Arteta's side are not the only club pursuing a big-money deal for Gyokeres, though, as it has been reported that an Italian giant is also in the race for the Sweden international's services.
Barcelona were tipped to make a serious play for Gyokeres too, as the Blaugrana will likely have to soon start planning for life without Robert Lewandowski, who turns 37 in August.
However, the Poland international is showing no sign of slowing down at the tip of Hansi Flick's attack, conjuring up a terrific 42 goals in 52 matches in all competitions during the 2024-25 campaign.
Deco confirms Barcelona are not pursuing Gyokeres
Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres celebrates on March 9, 2025© Imago
Lewandowski's Barcelona contract still has another year left too, and La Blaugrana could activate a 12-month extension to retain the former Bayern Munich man's services until 2027.
As a result, club chief Deco has revealed that the Spanish champions are not considering an approach for Gyokeres ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, even though he is admired by the club.
Asked about Barcelona's supposed interest in Gyokeres by A Bola, Deco replied: "I'm not going to talk about the transfer market here, because it's not the right time. I came to talk about something else.
"He's a great player, who has scored a lot of goals in recent years at Sporting, but at the moment we're not looking for that position. We already have Robert Lewandowski to play at number 9, so it's not a position we're looking for."
Ruben Amorim's Manchester United were at one stage said to have been serious contenders for Gyokeres's signature too, but their failure to qualify for any form of European football has likely now ruled them out of the running.
Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko - Which striker should Arsenal go after?
RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko celebrates on February 26, 2025© Imago
It is anybody's guess as to which way Arsenal will go this summer, as it initially appeared that Andrea Berta's will would win out; the Gunners' new sporting director is a huge fan of Gyokeres and tried to sign him for Atletico Madrid.
However, Arsenal are now rumoured to be in concrete talks to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, although the Slovenia international could be a little more expensive at £75m.
Whichever striker Arsenal go for, there will be an element of risk; Sesko has never played in England and Gyokeres has never played in the Premier League, only dabbling in Championship football.
This is more a question for Berta and Arteta; do they go for a player in Gyokeres who is arguably in his peak years, or a player in Sesko who is far from the finished product?
As Lewandowski is proving, though, the best strikers on the planet can and will perform well into their 30s, so Gyokeres ought to be number one on the Gunners' list given they need goals and they need them now.
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