Arsenal have been told to stop their deal to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP, and sign Hugo Ekitike instead.
The Gunners are closing in on a confirmation for Gyokeres, who is expected to cost €70m from Sporting, which is the price that the Portuguese club wanted for the Swedish international through the negotiations.
Gyokeres may finally heal Arsenal’s striker woes, as he was one of the best in Europe over the past two seasons at Sporting, scoring 97 goals in 102 games. He will now come to the Premier League, and try to continue his impressive form, hopefully helping Arsenal to land a league title.
However, he is one of several striker targets that Arsenal had this summer, with the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Ollie Watkins and Hugo Ekitike also on the radar of the Gunners. It would be interesting to find out if Gyokeres was their first choice of the three.
Amid the reports of a done deal for Gyokeres, the Gunners have been told that they should have gone after Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike instead of the 27-year-old.
Former Premier League midfielder Don Hutchison told BestBettingSites.com that the Gunners should have signed Ekitike, although he does believe that Gyokeres will do well in terms of pure goal scoring if he comes to the Emirates.
Hutchison said: “Personally, I would have gone for Hugo Ekitike because I think he suits how Arsenal play. He fits into the possession style, and he’ll link up well with Martin Odegaard and Bukyao Saka well, they’re both technically adept, and so is he.
“He can move, he’s graceful, he scores, and he can take players on. He’s the player they should have gone for, but Viktor Gyokeres, there’s just no denying he will deliver you hatfuls of goals. More than Sesko, probably, too. But it’s interesting they’ve gone for the 27-year-old. There’s no sell-on money they’re factoring in.
“I think for Arsenal and Arteta, they aren’t worried about resale at this point, they just want a guaranteed player who delivers goals, because they need to start winning trophies.”
Ekitike is, according to talkSPORT, recieving transfer interest from Newcastle United, who want someone to partner up with Alexander Isak. He has also been linked with a move to Man United in the past, and is expected to cost around £77m.
