Arsenal are eyeing a move to sign Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres this summer as an alternative to RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko but face paying a huge fee, according to The Sun.
Sesko revealed that he will stay with Die Roten Bullen for another season, forcing the Gunners to consider signing the Swedish forward instead. However, landing Gyokeres won’t be easy either due to his £85 million release clause.
The newspaper says Arsenal want to negotiate a fee in the £50 to £60 million range, but Sporting are unwilling to let their star striker leave for anything less than his release fee.
And while the Portuguese giants are ‘prepared to raise funds’, the report states that they are under no pressure to sell Gyokeres for cheap as they will sanction the ‘sale of other players’ in the team, including Ousmane Diamonde and Gonzalo Inacio.
Mikel Arteta’s side are yet to open any concrete talks with either Sporting Lisbon or Gyokeres’ representatives but ‘face more frustration’ in their pursuit of a striker.
Arsenal unlikely to spend £85m on Gyokeres
Admittedly, Viktor Gyokeres has enjoyed a phenomenal season having scored 43 goals for Sporting Lisbon in all competitions last season. However, Arsenal are unlikely to spend that much on a player who has really had only one great campaign under his belt.
Moreover, at 26, Gyokeres is five years older than Sesko and does not provide Arsenal with as much longevity as the Slovenian striker’s signing would have done.
Having already pulled the plug on Victor Osimhen’s purchase from Napoli due to a £110 million release clause, it would not be surprising to see the Gunners end their pursuit of Gyokeres owing to a price far higher than their budget.
Though there is a lengthy transfer window ahead, Arsenal’s options for the strike position have already reduced with Joshua Zirkzee’s signing for £34 million looking like the most realistic option.
They could hold the advantage in the race for the Bologna striker as Kia Joorabchian, his agent, is friends with Edu, Arsenal’s sporting director, and has previously been reported to prefer transferring his client to north London.
