Arsenal learn Viktor Gyokeres to Man Utd truth as major £56m transfer twist emerges

There is not too much longer to wait until the Premier League returns with Arsenal now in the swing of their pre-season in preparation for the new campaign.

The Gunners have made their way to Asia for their pre-season tour. The 30-man squad who have travelled will take on AC Milan and Newcastle United in Singapore.

They will then head to Hong Kong where they will take on North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

New signings Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard are part of the squad. Noni Madueke’s participation in the Club World Cup with Chelsea means that he will join up with his new teammates when they return.

Mikel Arteta will be keen to see some more new faces at Arsenal before the start of the new season, with striker Viktor Gyokeres a prime target.

With rumours and links swirling, we’ve taken a look at a couple of the latest stories and given our thoughts on the situation.

Gyokeres to Man Utd truth

Manchester United have no intention of making a late offer for Gyokeres, despite reports in Portugal linking them with a hijack of Arsenal’s transfer. That is reported by our sister site the Manchester Evening News .

Arsenal are continuing talks with Sporting CP to try and iron out the final details of the agreement between the two clubs. Once they have done so, Gyokeres will undergo a medical.

There were some reports that United, whose head coach Ruben Amorim worked with Gyokeres at Sporting, were making a late offer, but that has now been dismissed with the club not intending to submit a bid.

FL says : It seems like a matter of time before Gyokeres completes his move to Arsenal. The Gunners appeared to fight off competition from United earlier in the window, with the player himself reportedly letting the Reds know that he had chosen a move to the Emirates Stadium.

When a deal is finalised it will be a relief to Mikel Arteta with the need for a new striker apparent for the last few months.

Simons update

Chelsea appear to be leading the race for Red Bull Leipzig star Xavi Simons, despite Arsenal being one of the clubs showing an interest in the forward.

As reported by football.london, the Blues have opened talks with the player’s representatives over a possible move, with Simons keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are keen to reduce the current €65 million (£56m) asking price and move on players to facilitate a move.

The Telegraph report that Arsenal are another one of the clubs who have registered an interest, but name Chelsea as the ‘most attractive of the English options.’

FL says : There’s no doubt that Simons is an exciting player, but Arsenal are right in concentrating on a deal for Gyokeres right now. The signing of Noni Madueke from Chelsea means that the Gunners are now pretty well stocked in attacking areas to provide chances for the main striker, it’s bringing in that main striker which now is the priority, with anything else a bonus.

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