It’s the transfer saga of the summer and Viktor Gyokeres has apparently chosen to burn his last bridge with Sporting CP in an attempt to bring it to a conclusion.
Arsenal are in the market for a top-level striker and Gyokeres is understood to be preferred over RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
But Sporting aren’t of a mind to be taken for a ride and president Frederico Varandas not inclined to accept anything less than top dollar for such an important player.
Gyokeres tries to force Arsenal move
The Gunners appear to have seen off the competition of former Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim and Manchester United but must now wait and see whether Sporting’s resolve weakens.
The player seems determined to do everything he can to persuade his club to let him return to England, where he burst onto the scene with Coventry City in the Championship.
“Viktor Gyokeres has not returned to pre-season training, as planned,” transfer journalist Ben Jacobs posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. “He already informed [Varandas] he won’t play for the club again.”
Jacobs reports that the proposed deal is ‘advanced’, with Sporting holding out for €70 million plus add-ons and Arsenal seemingly waiting in the wings for Gyokeres to drive the initial price down by digging his heels in.
“Understand Sporting have told Gyökeres this morning they expect him back at training tomorrow, but the Swedish striker is refusing. Urgency to resolve the situation quickly now from all sides,” added Jacobs.
It was reported on Thursday that Arsenal have grown frustrated with discussions over the structure of the deal, having made an unsuccessful visit to Lisbon.
Gyokeres has passed the point of no return with Sporting, where he has three years remaining on the contract he signed when he left England in 2023.
It’s unlikely that Arsenal will be turned off by a transfer target’s one-man stand-off with his current club but Sporting supporters will view their star striker rather differently after what should have been remembered as a successful spell.
The Sweden striker has reportedly put his professional reputation on the line in the name of a career-defining transfer and the act, though risky, is as likely to pay off for him as it was for the multitude of players who’ve downed tools in the past.
Gyokeres scored 68 times in 66 league matches for Sporting, winning the Portuguese title in both of his seasons in Lisbon.
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