Arsenal in 'advance stage' of signing Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting

Arsenal are intensifying efforts to bolster their attacking unit, making significant progress in their pursuit of Sporting CP’s prolific striker Viktor Gyokeres, with negotiations reportedly at an advanced stage.

While no club-to-club agreement has been finalized for the striker’s anticipated summer transfer, all parties remain confident about securing the deal.

Arsenal are encouraged by Gyokeres’ eagerness to join the Premier League this season, with the Emirates Stadium and Mikel Arteta’s squad as his preferred destination.

Personal terms with the player are not anticipated to pose an issue for Arsenal, and the 27-year-old has reportedly been granted permission by Sporting to delay his return for pre-season training.

The Swedish international was scheduled to return on Monday, a week after some of his teammates, but has now been granted an extension until Friday as negotiations with Arsenal advance. However, there remains uncertainty about whether he will return to Sporting at all.

Arsenal’s top priority for the upcoming season is to sign a prolific “goal machine,” addressing the prolonged periods in the 2024/25 campaign when injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz left the team without a reliable striker.

Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 games in all competitions last campaign for Sporting CP(Image: Getty Images)

They have been linked with moves for several players, including RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

Since his move to Sporting CP from Coventry for approximately £20 million in 2023, Gyokeres has delivered an impressive 97 goals in 102 appearances over two seasons in Portugal.

He netted an astonishing 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions last season, including a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League, playing a pivotal role in Sporting triumphs in both the Portuguese league and the Portuguese Cup.

A transfer to Arsenal would mark Gyokeres’ return to English football, having initially joined Brighton in January 2018 before moving to Coventry following loan stints at St. Pauli and Swansea.