ARSENAL have FINALLY agreed a fee of £63.5million to snatch Viktor Gyokeres away from Sporting Lisbon.
The Gunners are set to pay £54.8million up front and £8.6million in performance related add-ons for the 27-year-old on a five-year-deal.
GettyArsenal have finally agreed a deal in principle to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon[/caption]
GettyArsenal manager Mikel Arteta has faced the wrath of fans in recent weeks[/caption]
Gyokeres’ agent Hasan Cetinkaya agreeing to miss out on his 10 per cent commission lowered the asking price for Arsenal on the guaranteed money without Sporting receiving less than they wanted.
And after weeks of hardball negotiations with Sporting, the North Londoners are finally set to land their top summer target with an official announcement due in the coming days.
Gyokeres will become Arsenal‘s fourth signing of the summer window, with Kepa Arrizabalaga joining from Chelsea, Christian Norgaard from Brentford and Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
The club have also agreed a £52million deal for Stamford Bridge winger Noni Madueke, who left the Blues before their Club World Cup final on Sunday.
Boss Mikel Arteta was desperate to get a deal over the line for a No.9 before heading off on their pre-season trip to Singapore and Hong Kong this weekend.
Arsenal were without a recognised No9 for much of last season as they finished second in the league, ten points behind champions Liverpool with 17 fewer goals scored.
Sporting’s demands for Gyokeres were believed to be an initial fee of £60.4m, plus £8.6m in add-ons.
But Gyokeres refused to return to pre-season training with Sporting amid his desire to join the Premier League club.
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The 27-year-old joined the Portuguese club in 2023 from Coventry City and has developed into one of Europe’s most in-demand players.
Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta flew to Lisbon towards the end of last week to lead negotiations with the Portuguese champions.
Sporting president Frederico Varandas has played out a public battle with Gyokeres so far this summer, claiming the club will not succumb to “blackmail and insults” to let him leave.
While Gyokeres was thought to be hurt and angered by the situation after believing that Sporting have gone back on their supposed gentlemen’s agreement to let him leave for a fair fee.
Just over the weekend, Varandas said Gyokeres was facing disciplinary action after failing to report for pre-season training in the Algarve on Saturday.
Gyokeres, who scored 54 goals in 52 games during last season’s league title and cup double, has yet to publicly explain why he has not turned up for pre-season.
Varandas told Portuguese news agency Lusa that “no one is above the interests of the club”.
Arteta also considered Red Bull Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, 22, but Berta always preferred Gyokeres after netting 97 goals in 102 games during his two seasons in Portugal, firing Sporting to two league titles.
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Gyokeres’ agreement will surely appease the fuming Arsenal fans who have been calling for an out-and-out striker for several years.
A group of Gooners even defaced murals depicting Mikel Arteta and other key club figures outside the Emirates Stadium over the last few days.
A row of banners underneath the Hornsey Tunnel in North London were vandalised with graffiti saying “ARTETA OUT” spread across the wall.
Gyokeres claimed this week that he is amongst the best strikers in world football, comparing himself the the likes of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
The former Coventry striker – who has had interest from a host of clubs, including Manchester United – was determined to seal a move to Arsenal.
Gyokeres revealed recently it would be a “great revenge” to return to the Prem after failing to make a single appearance during a four-year stint at Brighton.
