Arsenal ‘close to Viktor Gyokeres transfer with Gunners in advanced talks with Sporting after ruling out Benjamin Sesko'
The Gunners have been weighing up their options for a new centre-forward and it would appear they are now focusing on Gyokeres.
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According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Arsenal feel like they are "touching the final line" when it comes to agreeing a deal for the Sporting Lisbon star.
While it's also claimed they have already agreed a five-year contract with Gyokeres himself.
Gyokeres has found himself trying to force a move away from Sporting this summer after claims that a gentleman's agreement to leave for a cut-price fee between him and the club has not been honoured.
Sporting president Federico Varandas has claimed the club are happy to let Gyokeres leave for less than his release clause, but will stand firm when it comes to getting a fair price for the Portuguese league's top scorer.
Citing the prices paid for some other players this summer, Varandas told O Jogo: "Sporting does not need to sell him, but we remain sensitive to the dreams of Viktor and any of our athletes.
"After weeks of meetings, we are not asking for the release clause and will be reasonable regarding the price we ask for Viktor. Today, I believe there is a strong probability he will leave.
'We have been watching the market and I saw [Martin] Zubimendi, who is six months younger than Viktor, leave for €65million.
"I saw Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, both forwards but who, in my opinion, do not have Viktor's market value or quality, being negotiated for around €75million.
"Given the demands we consider fair, I believe Viktor could leave – unless he has the worst agent in the world, which is hard for me to believe, because he is one of the best footballers in the world."
Adding: "I'm not going to say what the price is, the player knows what it is.
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"I can tell you that Viktor won't leave for €60million plus €10million he won't, he just won't."
Meanwhile Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the club's stance has left Gyokeres feeling "betrayed and tired".
It's been claimed that Gyokeres has informed Sporting that he won't be returning to the club and has no intention of playing for them again.
Gyokeres scored 39 goals in 33 league appearances last season, more than any other player in Europe's top 10 leagues.
Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Sesko, but advancements in the Gyokeres deal would likely spell an end to those talks.
The Gunners today announced the arrival of Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea on a £5m deal, with the Spanish goalkeeper set to play backup to first choice shot-stopper David Raya next season.
While deals for Brentford 's Christian Norgaard and Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi are also thought to be on verge of completion.
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Suzanne Wrack Lea Schüller remains a formidable spearhead for Germany and, in a side who have carved recent opponents wide open, should add healthily to her tally in Switzerland. Alessia Russo could challenge her but may find England's assignments too nip-and-tuck. NA Clàudia Pina – one of the most natural strikers in the competition. This is the 23-year-old's time to shine on the back of a brilliant season for Barcelona, where she finished as the top goalscorer in the Champions League. SD Pina could blow defences away. Even if she isn't chosen to start every game, she could be even more lethal coming off the bench against tiring defences. A tally of five or six goals may be enough for the Golden Boot and I would back Pina to notch at least four during the group stage on the form she displayed towards the end of the club season. TG I'm going to say Alessia Russo. I think Alessia is in a great place and I think since Renée Slegers has taken Arsenal on, she and Kelly Smith deserve huge credit for the development of Alessia. EH Sandy Baltimore: bit left-field (pun intended), but hear me out. Played as a wing-back for much of her career but now adding goals to her game: five for France and a brace in the FA Cup final. France's stacked frontline will allow her plenty of space to operate and she could easily go on a run. JL Marie-Antoinette Katoto. The Lyon striker – she joins from PSG on Tuesday – has 38 goals in 55 appearances for France and combines precision finishing with often unplayable physicality. After rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in the group stage of Euro 2022, then missing the 2023 World Cup, this could finally be the 26-year-old's moment in the sun. LT If you're predicting Spain to win then it's hard not to predict Pina to pick up the Golden Boot. She's been in formidable form and, although goals can come from a variety of Spain players, I think Pina will do very well. Were the Netherlands not drawn in such a tricky group I'd have fancied Vivianne Miedema. SW Iceland look strong, reliable and more than well placed to compete seriously in a winnable Group A. They have a habit of staying in games and, if they were to avoid Spain in the last eight, could travel far. It is also worth watching out for a hugely improved Italy. NA Italy are my dark horses. Andrea Soncin has overseen something of a rebuild and refresh since he took over in 2023. They have been in steady form since, taking the scalps of Spain and Germany among others. Roma's playmaker Manuela Giugliano is one to watch. SD At least one of the seven teams in Group A and B who are not Spain will reach the semi-finals. That's guaranteed, so while that won't be a 'surprise', whoever makes it from that relatively low-ranking set will be an unlikely name for a semi-finalist. There is little between the seven but I am leaning towards Italy, who have recorded some excellent results since the World Cup. TG You have to talk about the French, while Italy are a good side and Belgium have the qualities to be disruptive. EH Italy have claimed some big scalps in the past 12 months and if they escape a tough group the draw could easily open out for them. JL Wales. The NWSL title in the United States is notoriously hard to win but the Wales coach, Rhian Wilkinson, pulled that feat off at Portland Thorns in 2022. Wilkinson has turned a highly motivated Wales into extremely awkward opponents and, with Jess Fishlock and Sophie Ingle in a high-calibre midfield, they look capable of reaching the quarter-finals of their first major tournament. LT Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Is this Norway's time to not be disappointing? The draw has certainly helped them and if they top the group that should give them momentum going into the knockouts. I don't expect them to go far, but with Ada Hegerberg, Guro Reiten, Caroline Graham Hansen, Frida Maanum, etc the quality is there. SW Nobody with any handle on the England setup is blind to the prodigious talent of Aggie Beever-Jones. Now Europe should discover the Chelsea striker's gifts first-hand. She has made a flying start at international level and should prove an explosive option from the bench. NA Beever-Jones will bring the impact from the bench. The 21-year-old is playing in her first major tournament and has just enjoyed the season of her young career. If the Lionesses need a goal, they know they have someone in the ranks with an instinctive eye for one. SD For the viewer who may not be a women's football diehard, this should be the tournament when Cláudia Pina breaks into the mainstream and receives wider recognition. Meanwhile, England's Michelle Agyemang can go into this tournament with no fear and if she gets a chance off the bench she can show she is a future superstar. TG Pina is someone who has got huge, huge potential. For England, we could talk about Grace Clinton for example, but I'm always going to say Beever-Jones, because if England need a different type of goalscorer in another moment in a game, I think she's capable of delivering on that front. For Germany, watch out for Jule Brand; she is so exciting to watch. EH Vicky López. Still only 18 but long regarded as one of Europe's most promising talents, López went to last summer's Olympics for Spain but didn't play. Has featured more often for Barcelona this season and this could be the tournament that puts her name in lights. JL Manuela Giugliano. The Roma playmaker says she models her game on that of Andrea Pirlo but, at 27, is still to see her lofty domestic standing transposed on to the international stage. That could be about to change for a dead-ball wizard blessed with superior vision, a stellar passing range and a knack of making impeccable defensive interceptions. LT Lauren James has had an injury-hit season for Chelsea but when fit she has looked sublime. The forward seems to have matured her all-round game, her defensive work rate as impressive as her attacking, and this could be the tournament where she really stamps her name on the international stage. In training she has looked phenomenal and her assist against Jamaica on Sunday, after coming on for her first minutes in three months, showed her importance to England from a creativity point of view. SW Further evidence that standards at the game's elite level continue to reach new heights – in a country that should be perfectly set up to host a smooth, joyful summer tournament. NA I think the next month will be the best illustration of how far European football has continued to develop over the past three years. Any of five or six teams could win it and no side are infallible. In terms of the tournament, I am looking forward to seeing everything that Switzerland has to offer. This is a huge moment in their women's football journey and I am sure they will seize it. SD The three group matches between England, France and the Netherlands – all three of whom are capable of going all the way – should make for blockbuster viewing. The pressure riding on those early fixtures will be immense; they are akin to semi-finals, in terms of standard, but they are going to be entertaining us inside the first 11 days. I'm also looking forward to the mountainous scenery from the window seat of a Swiss train. It is a beautiful country. TG Nowadays players have got more access to the support they need to be the best versions of themselves, so the quality is going to be so much higher. There may be a bit of a shifting of the order, too; this may be a tournament where we talk about a Belgium or an Italy and not a Sweden and a Norway. That's not to say that will happen, but there could be a shift. EH The Dutch fans. Obviously. JL You mean apart from the Swiss chocolate museum in Lucerne? Watching Wales and their 38-year-old, but still world-class, midfielder Jess Fishlock at their first major tournament. The final Group B game between Italy and Spain in Berne looks intriguing, too. Off the pitch, seeing Lake Lucerne, the Alps and the Abbey Library in St Gallen, said to be one of the world's oldest and most beautiful. LT A cheese fondue. Does that need elaboration? It's all I've been thinking about for months. On the pitch, Spain are obviously the favourites but the fact any one of several teams (Spain, England, Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands …) could win this tournament makes it hugely exciting. Set against the backdrop of stunning Switzerland, it will be memorable. SW
