Arsenal ‘willing to pay’ £56m to sign ‘priority’ target as they ‘take lead’ in ‘new Barcelona setback’
According to reports, Arsenal have ‘taken the lead’ in the race to sign Sporting Lisbon sensation Viktor Gyokeres amid interest from FC Barcelona.
The Gunners are crying out for a new striker heading into the next transfer window after they failed to sign a forward in January and last summer.
Mikel Merino has done a great job as a fill-in striker with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus ruled out for the remainder of this season, but Arsenal still need to sign a top-tier forward as an upgrade.
Mikel Arteta‘s side are linked with several potential options, with Gyokeres, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap mentioned as possible solutions.
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Arsenal are fourth in our Premier League net spend table, so Arteta is likely to be given a big budget this summer with a new striker among several potential new arrivals.
Gyokeres is a leading contender to be this season’s leading scorer in Europe as he has been sensational since joining Sporting Lisbon from Championship side Coventry City for around £15m in 2023.
The Sweden international is linked with several Premier League and European sides, but a new report in Spain claims Arsenal have ‘taken the lead’.
The report suggests the Gunners have ‘put’ up 65 million euros (around £56m) to sign Gyokeres and an ‘agreement is well underway’ for Arteta’s ‘priority’ target.
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The Gunners are said to have ‘accelerated in recent weeks’ and this is a ‘new setback’ for Barcelona, who ‘see Gyokeres slip away for financial reasons’.
The report explains:
‘Arsenal have been quicker. With Arteta at the helm, the English club have accelerated in recent weeks, willing to pay the €65 million Sporting demand to release their star striker.
‘For the Gunners, Gyokeres is the ideal striker to make the definitive leap and compete for all the titles, especially in the Premier League and the Champions League.
‘The deal represents another setback for Barça, which, once again, sees a key target slip away for financial reasons.
‘The Blaugrana club, with serious fair play limitations, cannot compete with the figures managed by teams like Arsenal, and will now have to rethink its strategy to strengthen its forward line.
‘Deco was already considering alternatives such as Moise Kean or even keeping Ferran Torres as his main offensive reference in the future, but Gyokeres was Flick’s choice, and his signing for Arsenal represents a clear loss for the German coach’s project.’
