Friday morning deal- Arsenal have turned away from Benjamin SESKO as they feel he’s too expensive- Mikel Arteta have found an upgrade and Arsenal are ready to sign “a special” £53M player instead
Arsenal would want to negotiate a fee in the region of £60 million for Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres during the ongoing summer transfer window, according to the Sun.
However, the Portuguese top-flight club are unwilling to let the 26-year-old leave on the cheap and are holding out for his £85m release clause.
Gyokeres was in the form of his life in 2023-24, bagging 43 goals and weighing in with 15 assists in 50 games across all competitions to help Sporting win the Primeira Liga while emerging as the Primeira Liga top scorer with 29 strikes.
The Sweden international will fit perfectly into the plans of Arsenal as manager Mikel Arteta wants to bolster his attack ahead of another title challenge.
The Gunners had RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko on top of their transfer wishlist and were willing to activate his £55m release clause.
However, the Slovenian signed a contract extension with the Bundesliga club this week, leaving Arsenal with no choice but to look elsewhere.
The North Londoners have scouted Gyokeres several times in the last 12 months and he has the qualities to make them even more fearsome in the attacking third.
However, the £85m Sporting are demanding could prove to be a stumbling block, and Arsenal appear to be unwilling to splash the cash on the former Coventry City hitman.
The Portuguese club want to raise funds this summer but would rather do so through the sale of other players in their ranks, including Arsenal-linked defenders Ousmane Diomande and Goncalo Inacio.
The Ivory Coast international is valued at around £50m, while Inacio has a £52m release clause, but the Gunners are prioritising landing another attacker and will hope Sporting are willing to lower their demands for Gyokeres.
