Viktor Gyokeres could be on the move this summer to Arsenal and it has now been revealed how the Gunners could eventually pick up the striker for free.
The 27-year-old is among one of the transfer sagas of the past few months with intense speculation surrounding his future and where he will be playing his football next season.
Gyokeres has been at Sporting since 2023 after moving from Coventry City for an initial €20m and has been in red hot goalscoring form ever since.
Over the last two seasons, the Sweden international has scored 97 goals in 102 games, including a remarkable 54 strikes in 52 matches across all competitions last campaign.
The Premier League is a potential destination for Gyokeres, and Manchester United have been linked with his services.
It is unsurprising given United’s need for a striker and also that Gyokeres’s old boss Ruben Amorim moved to Old Trafford last November to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag.
However, Arsenal have also been linked with Gyokeres and appear to be leading the race to sign him and are said to be closing in on an agreement.
The Gunners are also in need of striking reinforcements after three successive runners-up finishes in the Premier League.
Gyokeres himself appears to be trying to force a move away from Sporting by not intending to report back for pre-season training, which began on Friday.
According to The Athletic, the striker believes that president Sporting Frederico Varandas has ‘reneged on a pact’ which would have seen Gyokeres leave the club this summer for €60m plus €10m in add-ons – a sum that Arsenal have already gone above with their bid.
The Gunners are even reported to have a five-year deal prepared for Gyokeres, should the transfer come to pass.
But a scenario has now been outlined where Mikel Arteta’s side might not even have to pay a single penny to Sporting for Gyokeres’s services.
According to Portuguese publication A Bola, the striker’s contract could ultimately be terminated by Sporting if he continues his absence.
Columnist and lawyer Joao Caido Guerreiro has suggested this is what Gyokeres wants despite the prospect of being fined to enable him to move to Arsenal more easily, with a dismissal meaning Sporting lose out on a huge financial asset.
Guerreiro said: “Missing training without justification is an infraction, and five consecutive unjustified absences or ten interpolated absences are sufficient grounds for dismissal with cause.
“However, the law allows for various justifications. Gyokeres can always provide some justification: a family problem, the need to accompany a relative to the doctor, etc. The list of justifications is long.
“But the player announced the absence early, and the reason is that he wants to go to Arsenal. This limits his justifications. If he misses, Sporting could even fine him, or if the absences continue, apply more severe sanctions. Including dismissal without compensation.
“But that’s what Gyokeres wants. And dismissal would be terrible for Sporting : a financial asset, because the player is a club asset, would go from being worth €65 million, the value of Arsenal‘s offer, to being worth zero!”
