Arsenal ‘open talks’ to sign Viktor Gyokeres in potential £70 million deal

Arsenal are in the semi-final of the Champions League but will inevitably fall short of the Premier League title yet again with Liverpool likely to secure the title over the coming weekend should the Gunners beat Crystal Palace. 33 games in, Mikel Arteta’s side has scored 14 goals less than the would-be champions, a rather decisive figure in the grand scheme of things.

With summer fast approaching, however, the club’s pursuit of a new striker is starting to gather pace. Football Insider has reported that Arsenal have opened talks to seal the transfer of Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres, who is set to be available for £70 million this summer, off the back of a terrific campaign in which he has 47 goals and 11 assists till now.

The source adds that the club’s sporting director Andrea Berta is a ‘big fan’ of the player and that he has now emerged as the priority target for the Londoners ahead of Benjamin Sesko and Victor Osimhen. Gyokeres promises to be a brilliant addition to the Arsenal squad and it might only be a matter of time before everything is in place for them to announce his purchase.

Gyokeres set to solve Arsenal’s scoring woes
Viktor Gyokeres has produced some exciting numbers this season not just in Liga NOS, but also in the Champions League. Rui Borges, Sporting Lisbon’s manager, called him a ‘phenomenal’ player but seemed to concede that the Swedish international’s long-term future may lie elsewhere amidst rumours of him departing the Portuguese giants in the summer.

Arsenal would not just benefit from his experience of playing on the best level of continental football but would also be confident in his ability to succeed in the Premier League thanks to a few spells on loan within England during his stint at Brighton & Hove Albion. That said, Gyokeres might be the missing piece between Mikel Arteta’s squad and an elusive top flight crown.

It will be interesting to see when the transfer culminates, although it goes without saying that Arteta would prefer having perhaps his most crucial signing in recent years at his disposal for pre-season.