The club are keen on signing a marquee centre-forward, but a versatile winger could be purchased too.
A Bola (page 18) today provide a fresh update on the club’s pursuit of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.
The Portuguese publication claim that the Gunners are preparing to ‘charge back’ for the Sweden international, who has no plans to return for pre-season with the Portuguese champions.The Gunners made an informal opening bid worth £47 million plus £8.5m in add-ons for the 27-year-old earlier this month, but Sporting are adamant that he won’t be leaving for anything less than £68m.
Arsenal are ‘considering the terms’ for a new attack for Gyokeres. The club are distancing themselves from RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and seem to be ‘getting closer’ to the Swede instead.Sesko has a release clause worth £68m in his contract at RB Leipzig. The Bundesliga outfit want a package between £68m and £85m to negotiate a long-term payment plan for the Slovenian.
The Gunners are unwilling to pay such a fee at the moment, and they have not fully agreed terms with Sesko either. If the impasse continues, the club could quickly turn to Gyokeres instead.Gyokeres has opened the door for a ‘dream‘ transfer to Arsenal after turning down a move to Manchester United. He is pushing for a transfer and does not plan to return for pre-season training at Sporting CP.
Personal terms should not be an issue with the striker, and the onus is now on Arsenal to make an improved proposal on the table to persuade Sporting CP to sanction his departure.
The Gunners’ informal offer stands at £55.5m. There is a gap to the reported £68m valuation. Gyokeres’ ongoing stance could persuade Sporting CP to provide a further discount on the price.Meanwhile, Gyokeres’ agent reportedly has a sales mandate and will be owed 10 percent of any rejected offer above £51m without add-ons. Arsenal have offered £47m as a fixed fee.
The clause is optional but could be used by his representative as a negotiation tool with Sporting CP if the Gunners were to make an improved bid with more than £51m upfront.
