9 hours ago
33
Viktor Gyokeres is expected to undergo his Arsenal medical on Saturday ahead of completing a £63.7million move from Sporting CP.
The 27-year-old has been tracked by the Gunners for a number of months and it appears Andrea Berta has finally got his man after a few weeks of tough negotiating. football.london reported earlier this week that the Gunners will pay an initial €63.5million (£55million) plus €10million (£8.7million) in add-ons for the striker, with a full agreement reached on Friday.
Gyokeres has been given permission to meet up with Arsenal chiefs to complete his medical and it's possible he plays a part in Wednesday's pre-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong. The Swede is expected to be handed the No.14 shirt.
While the transfer appears all but done, Mikel Arteta did not want to be drawn into talking about a player not currently his. Asked in Singapore on Friday about the possibility of Gyokeres potentially joining over the weekend, the Spaniard was coy in his response.
He said: "You know I cannot talk about a player who is not ours yet. Whatever happens in the next few hours I'm sure the club will make a statement about it."
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Interestingly, Arteta did admit that he wanted any new signing to be integrated into the squad as soon as possible. "Yes for sure," Arteta said. "Obviously once we have finalised everything with a player we want to integrate him with the team as quickly as possible.
"With Noni [Madueke] it was impossible because he needed some time. I think he's going to take a shorter vacation than he deserves because he wants to joins us straightaway, as soon as we're back. I think immediately is better so they can start to join the team, get to know each other and get the ideas we want to put in their minds."
All eyes are now on Arsenal's official club channels as supporters eagerly await an announcement regarding Gyokeres. With the friendly against Tottenham only a few days away, it could come sooner rather than later.
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.
English (US) ·