Viktor Gyokeres has been on the cusp of joining Arsenal for what feels like an age.
The Sporting CP striker has refused to train with his current teammates as he looks to force through a move to Emirates Stadium. Andrea Berta is working hard in the background to try and secure the deal but, as of yet, no agreement has been reached.
football.london understands that an agreement was reached in principle in a deal worth €63.5million (£55million) guaranteed plus €10million (£8.7million) in add-ons. However, further talks took place last week following this agreement over the structure of the deal, how the add-ons would be activated, and how easily. It is here where the negotiations have been slow and a compromise must be made.
Mikel Arteta had initially wanted his new No.9 on the plane on Saturday for the start of the pre-season tour of Asia. That was not the case, though, but it remains possible that the Swede joins up with his teammates over the coming days.
Arsenal, and Berta in particular, have shown throughout these proceedings that they won't be bullied by the selling club. Gyokeres wants to move, is refusing to play for Sporting at present and has already mentally checked in with Arsenal as his new home. The Gunners are in a position of strength.
If a deal is completed, Berta would have shown clubs across the world that Arsenal no longer pay over the odds for players. This is partly why Arsenal opted to go all in for Gyokeres instead of Benjamin Sesko.
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The RB Leipzig man was admired by Arteta going into the summer window and in fact came close to joining the north Londoners last year. Berta had explored the option to sign Sesko when the window opened on June 1 but it quickly became apparent that Leipzig wanted quite a lot more than the Gunners were willing to pay.
This resulted in Arsenal pulling out of the potential deal and turning their attention to Gyokeres. The former Coventry man is the more prolific of the two and at the age of 27 is considered to be in his peak. He is the striker for the here and now, while Sesko was more one for the future.
Arsenal's hand in relation to Gyokeres was strengthened further over the weekend after it emerged Sporting have now accelerated in their plans to replace the Swedish striker. The Portuguese side are in talks with Almeria over a deal for 27-year-old Luis Suarez.
This may indicate that Sporting have finally accepted Gyokeres' fate. His future is no longer in Lisbon and he looks destined for London instead.
If all goes to plan, Gyokeres should still have a few weeks of pre-season training under his belt before the Gunners' Premier League opener against Manchester United on August 17. If the prolific striker ends up firing Arteta's side to glory throughout the 2025/26 season, this will have all been worth it.
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