Viktor Gyokeres sent Sporting fan message as Arsenal aim to finalise transfer
The Swedish striker is closing in on a high-profile summer switch to the Emirates Stadium worth an initial €63.5million (£54.86m) plus a further €10m (£8.64m) in add-ons after agent Hasan Cetinkaya reportedly waived his entire fee in a bid to help get a protracted deal over the line.
Though there reportedly remains a debate ongoing over the nature and structure of the bonuses included, Mikel Arteta was hoping to have Gyokeres signed in time for Saturday's departure for their pre-season tour of Asia, along with Chelsea winger Noni Madueke and Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera.
Such a move would see a long-running end to two sagas, specifically Arsenal's prolonged hunt for a new striker and Gyokeres' bitter stand-off with Sporting which has played out in the media over recent months.
The former Coventry frontman has not reported for pre-season training amid those talks with Arsenal, with whom he has already agreed a five-year contract, apparently furious that a gentleman's agreement for him to be allowed to leave for a fee of €60m (£50.8m) plus €10m (£8.4m) in add-ons this summer was not honoured by the club.
The existence of such an agreement has been publicly denied by Sporting president Frederico Varandas, who insisted no such promise was ever made.
Gyokeres has been sensational for Sporting since joining from Championship side Coventry for £20m two summers ago, scoring 97 goals and providing 28 assists in just 102 appearances across all competitions, including 54 in 52 games last term - the most of any player in Europe's top 10 leagues.
His goals have helped fire Sporting to back-to-back Primeira Liga titles and last season's League/Portuguese Cup double, though his popularity among supporters looks to now have taken a sizable hit amid his feud with the club and impending move to Arsenal.
Fans sent the striker messages in the form of banners during Sporting's 2-0 defeat by Celtic in a pre-season friendly held at the Estadio Algarve on Wednesday evening.
One read, per Record and Sport Witness: 'I don't cry for those who leave, I'm happy for those who stay. Lions of our youth academy.'
Another read: 'No one is above the interests of the club, whoever they may be.'
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