Arsenal star ‘betrays’ Mikel Arteta ‘to force’ £52m Barcelona transfer for four reasons

Arsenal striker Victor Gyokeres is ‘willing to force’ a move to Barcelona this summer after a rollercoaster first season at the Emirates Stadium, according to reports.

The Gunners signed Gyokeres from Sporting CP a year ago in a deal worth around £63.5m if all the add-ons are met after he netted 97 goals in 102 matches for the Portuguese side.

Gyokeres has not quite had the same impact at Arsenal with 21 goals in 55 appearances in all competitions, while his overall contribution to team performances was questioned at times despite winning the Premier League title.

There have been reports that Arsenal are looking to bring in more firepower to help take the goalscoring burden away from him next season, while he was even kinked with a potential move to Atletico Madrid last month.

Responding to the rumours about a potential move to the Spanish outfit, Fabrizio Romano said on his YouTube channel: “I can tell you that Atletico Madrid are not the only club trying to understand the situation of Viktor Gyokeres.

“There have been already important, top top clubs asking about the availability of Viktor Gyokeres for this summer transfer window, already, in May and the beginning of June, but the answer from Arsenal was always, ‘We want to keep the player, we believe in the player, and Viktor Gyokeres is part of our project’.

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“So, Arsenal were not opening the doors to an exit.

“Then, obviously, if something big comes to the table, we will see later this summer, but at the moment, the answer received by all the top clubs asking about Viktor Gyokeres has always been the same, and it has been, we want to keep the player, we want to trust Viktor Gyokeres.

“So, I wanted to clarify this, as I received many questions about this topic and it was important to make a point.”

Responding to the rumours of interest from Atletico, Gyokeres said on World Cup duty: “Of course it’s flattering to see that clubs are interested, but I feel extremely comfortable at Arsenal. After the season we have had, I only have positive feelings.”

Gyokeres is ‘ordering negotiations to leave’ Arsenal for Barcelona

And now reports in Spain are claiming that Gyokeres has ‘betrayed’ Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta with the Swede ‘ordering negotiations to leave’ for Barcelona this summer.

Gyokeres is ‘among the options that most appeal to Deco’ and Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick as they look to replace Robert Lewandowski.

It is claimed that the Swede – who exited at the World Cup on Tuesday to France – ‘hasn’t quite clicked’ with Arteta at Arsenal with three other reasons making him ‘willing to force’ a move to Barcelona.

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The report adds: ‘His statistics haven’t been bad, but he hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations, although he did contribute to winning the Premier League for the first time in over two decades. However, he’s been a substitute in crucial moments, such as the Champions League final, when the Basque manager opted for Kai Havertz.’

While Arsenal ‘intend to sign another striker’ and ‘all these factors have led Gyökeres to consider leaving the Emirates Stadium just 12 months after being presented’.

Chelsea legend John Terry thinks Arsenal could win the Premier League title again next season but he would be more confident if they signed a more prolific striker than Gyokeres.

When asked if he thinks Arsenal will retain the Premier League title, Terry told talkSPORT: “Yeah, I do actually.

“I think Arsenal… it’s theirs to lose for the next couple of years.

“I think they’ve got a really good squad of players. In terms of their squad, I think they’re missing an out-and-out striker that’s going to get in 20, 30 goals a season consistently.

“Look at the top sides over the last 20 years in the Premier League, they’ve all had it. Arsenal haven’t really got that.

“I think they’re one or two signings away from dominating the Premier League for the next two or three years, unfortunately.”

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