£64m player has "chosen to go to Arsenal" with another club rejected
da cassino： Arsenal are currently working to tie up a few key summer deals for Mikel Arteta, as the Gunners also prepare to kick off their pre-season tour of Asia against AC Milan on Wednesday.
da aposte e ganhe： After announcing the signing of England international winger Noni Madueke from Chelsea for an initial £48.5 million, rising to £52 million with add-ons (Sky Sports), defender Cristhian Mosquera is poised to follow soon.
Related £50m "game-changer" would now love to join Chelsea despite Arsenal approach
The Blues have been handed a boost in their pursuit of an attacker.
Arsenal reached an agreement with Valencia to sign the 21-year-old some time ago, and reports suggest he’s undergone a successful medical in north London (Tribuna Deportiva Valencia).
However, sources from both sides are refusing to disclose the reason for Mosquera’s announcement delay (Tribuna Deportiva Valencia), and they’ll likely delay unveiling his capture until after their tour of the Far East.
Arsenal estimated transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)
Money on new signings
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
25/26 – summer
£140m
Arteta’s side are in the market for a central attacking midfielder too, with both Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze and now RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons among Arsenal’s chiefs targets for the role.
Bolstering that area of the squad and bringing in someone to complement captain Martin Odegaard will immediately be prioritised once they finally seal a deal for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Arsenal reached an agreement in principle with Sporting over the signing of Gyokeres midway through July, for a total fee of around £64 million including add-ons (The Athletic), but it is taking some time to fully finalise his transfer to N5.
The final round of negotiations has reportedly centered around the conditions of those add-ons and bonuses involved, which could take the fee up to £69 million (The Guardian), with Gyokeres’ agent even agreeing to waive his fee to make this move happen.
Viktor Gyokeres has "chosen to go to Arsenal" with Man Utd rejected
The hold-up has prompted reports that Man United could mount a late hijack for the 27-year-old, and Fabrizio Romano even confirmed this morning that intermediaries have invited the Red Devils to make a bid of their own.
Now, journalist Duncan Castles has told The Transfers Podcast that Sporting are unhappy with Gyokeres’ conduct, informing the striker last week that he’s in breach of contract for refusing to train.
His lawyers defended against this by accusing Sporting of going back on their gentlemen’s agreement that Gyokeres could leave Sporting for a certain fee. So, there is a legal dispute apparently going on in the background, and the sense is now that Rui Borges’ side are attempting to make his exit as difficult as possible.
In some good news for Arteta, though, Gyokeres has “chosen to go to Arsenal” and will continue forcing through a move to north London, with United facing a brutal knockback if they decide to enter the race.
“There was a story in Portugal over the weekend that Manchester United had come in and gone over the top of Arsenal’s offer and that Sporting were very close to agreeing a transfer fee with Manchester United for Gyokeres,” said Castles.
“I’m told by sources at Manchester United that that’s not true, and also by people close to Gyokeres that it’s absolutely not true, and even if it were true, Gyokeres would not go to Manchester United. He has chosen to go to Arsenal, and he will continue to force that move.”
Gyokeres bagged 54 goals in all competitions for Sporting last season, leading the line in their charge for a first domestic double in around 20 years, but his memorable spell in Portugal isn’t about to end smoothly.