Viktor Gyokeres has already revealed how Mikel Arteta convinced him to join Arsenal over Man Utd

Viktor Gyokeres has already revealed how Arsenal managed to convince him to join. The Sporting striker has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium for a while now as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his frontline.

football.london understands that the Gunners are in the process of finalising a deal for Gyokeres. The north Londoners reignited negotiations with the Portuguese champions this weekend, making formal advances over terms to complete the transfer in due course.

It's understood that communication has improved, and Arsenal are optimistic that a compromise on a final fee can be reached. Sporting reentered talks wanting €70m (£60.5m) for the Sweden international, with €10m (£8.5m) of which payable in add-ons.

But, the Gunners wanted to offer €65m (£56m), with €15m (£13m) in add-ons. The two clubs had agreed on the total cost of the transfer (€80m/£69m), but the structure of said deal proved to be an issue.

football.london understands that Gyokeres has turned down several approaches from elsewhere in favour of a switch to north London, so personal terms are thought to be a formality. The 27-year-old was previously linked with a move to Manchester United when former Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag in the dugout.

But once Arsenal swooped in, the Red Devils didn't stand a chance. Earlier this week, Gyokeres didn't return to training after reportedly telling the Sporting president, Frederico Varandas, that he wouldn't play for the club again.

Ironically, on the day that the Swede was due to report for pre-season, he told France Football exactly how Arsenal managed to win him over. Gyokeres, whose contract at the José Alvalade Stadium expires in June 2028, said: "It’s football, you never know.

"I’m not thinking about it, we’ll see what happens. If something is going to happen, it will happen. The most important thing for me is to play for a club that really wants me."

On the Premier League, Gyokeres said: "It’s one of the biggest leagues in Europe. I spent several years there without being able to play a single match. So, of course, it’s something I would like to do. It would be a great revenge."

When asked what players impressed him during Sporting's run in the Champions League last term, Gyokeres dropped another hint. He said: "Yes, of course, there were a lot of players who impressed me.

"When we played against City and Arsenal, you could see the quality that they have in the squad is amazing. You could see the midfielders like Bernardo Silva, [Mateo] Kovacic, Arsenal with [Bukayo] Saka.

"Centre-backs that I played against – Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, very good players, good to play against those kind of players."

Arsenal clearly wooed Gyokeres with a pretty strong pitch, during which Arteta must have made the Swede feel truly wanted. At home. Part of the family.

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