Arsenal are not close to signing Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
It has been reported in the Portuguese media that that the Gunners were set to snap up the Swedish international for an initial €90m (£76m) but, speaking to CaughtOffside.com, Romano said:
“I am told this is not true. At the moment, Arsenal are not at that advanced stages of their negotiation for Gyokeres. They made contact on the player side already months ago, it was between April and May.”
“They are also informed about the conditions of the €100million release clause, but also the cost of the deal in terms of salary and all the rest. They have still not decided what they really want to do in that position or who is the priority target. They want to take their time to assess the options, so at the moment with Gyokeres, it is not something imminent or close, but it’s an option.”
Arsenal are still assessing targets after losing out on Sesko
It’s clear that the club’s top priority for the summer transfer window was Benjamin Sesko. However, after the Slovenian opted to remain at RB Leipzig, the Gunners have yet to decide who they should pursue next.
Clearly, Gyokeres is on the London club’s radar but that €100m (£84.5m) release clause is likely to prove problematic.
A wide player may be targeted instead
If Arsenal decide that there isn’t a striker on the market who fits the criteria they are looking for, they may well opt to use the money on strengthening a different position.
Bukayo Saka does need some competition on the right wing, and it is believed that Mikel Arteta’s side are tracking the likes of Wolves’ Pedro Neto and Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams.
Neto is said to be available for £60m, while Williams has a €58m (£49m) release clause. Considering the Gunners were prepared to pay a similar amount for Sesko, it stands to reason that both are in their price range.
