Tribal Football

Viktor Gyökeres to Arsenal? All the Transfer Turmoil Explained

Alex Roberts
Viktor Gyökeres to Arsenal? All the Transfer Turmoil Explained
Viktor Gyökeres to Arsenal? All the Transfer Turmoil ExplainedAction Plus
Arsenal are on the verge of finally securing a deal for Sporting star Viktor Gyokeres but it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the striker or the Premier League club.

According to Portuguese outlet Record, Arsenal officials have been in Lisbon since Friday and have reportedly submitted a verbal offer of €65 million (£56m/$76.5m) in fixed fee plus a potential €15m (£13m/$18m) in add-ons, which meets Sporting's original demand of €80m.

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They've also agreed personal terms with the 27-year-old, not that they were ever an obstacle. Gyokeres is ready to sign a five-year deal with the North London club, but talks between them and Sporting are ongoing.

As of yet, no offer been accepted, and Sporting are proving to be being difficult once again and are demanding €70m (£60m/$82m) as the fixed amount and the remaining €10m (£9m/$12m) in add-ons. 

It’s been a running theme this summer. It was meant to be a simple deal for any of Europe’s elite sides, they would go in, make an offer, and get one of the continent’s most prolific forwards, or so Gyokeres thought.

The Sweden international believed he had a “gentleman’s agreement” with the Sporting board that would allow him to leave the Portuguese champions this summer for a fee of €70m, much lower than his €100m release clause.

Whether he did or not, Sporting refuted the claim. Sporting president Frederico Varandas said: "We guaranteed that we would not demand €100 million (£85m). In that meeting, the agent wanted to anchor the departure to a value, he spoke of €60 million (£51m), €70 million (£59.7m) ... And I said: 'There's no point in setting a value,' because I don't know what will happen here in a year, if he gets injured, if he has a disappointing season.”

All the while, Arsenal were weighing up their options. New sporting director Andrea Berta opened talks with RB Leipzig over a deal for Benjamin Sesko, who is reportedly Mikel Arteta’s preferred option, but that deal has proven to be even trickier.

Leipzig were demanding €100m for the young Slovenian and considering their financial might with the backing of energy drink conglomerate Red Bull, there doesn’t seem to be much room for negotiation.

Back in Portugal, Gyokeres was furious, insisting he will never play for Sporting again as he angled for a move away. As many do in the modern age, he took to social media to vent his frustrations, removing any sign of Sporting from his Instagram bio.

He also sent a veiled message to whomever would listen, saying: "There is a lot of talks at the moment, most of it false. I will speak when the time is right," like a teenager in need of attention but too cool to ask for it."

The club finally started to show signs of letting up, giving the Sweden international permission to come to pre-season training a week later than his teammates as Arsenal considered their next move.

Gyokeres’ bridges at Sporting appear to be burned. He’s so desperate to leave the club he’s now willing to forgo €2 million from his salary at the club to help facilitate a deal with Arsenal, according to Record.

It’s a move that will endear him to the Arsenal fans almost immediately, he’s so keen to join the club and help end their frustrating five-year trophy drought he’s ready to give up millions to make it happen.

It’s no secret that Arsenal have been in desperate need for a striker for the past few seasons, continuously been the bridesmaid but never the bride. On paper, Gyokeres seems like the best option having scored a truly remarkable 97 goals in 102 games across all competitions for Sporting.

Let’s see if there are any more transfer twists along the way.