Arsenal are on the brink of finalising the signing of Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP, with negotiations now in their final phase.
The two clubs had previously reached an agreement in principle for a package worth €63.5 million (£54.8m; $74.2m) plus an additional €10 million (£8.6m; $11.7m) in potential add-ons.
However, the deal was delayed as both sides worked through the specifics surrounding the nature and achievability of those bonus payments.
Talks have since progressed significantly and are described as being at an “extremely advanced stage”, with only minor adjustments and finishing touches needed before the transfer can be confirmed.
Throughout the process, Gyokeres remained committed to joining Arsenal, brushing aside late interest from other suitors.
The 27-year-old’s agent even waived his commission to facilitate the move, which includes a contract that will run until June 2030.
Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas had stated on July 12 that Gyokeres would face a “heavy fine” and must apologise to his teammates after missing the club’s pre-season return—an absence that coincided with Arsenal’s approach.
Gyokeres, who netted 54 times in 52 appearances last season, was a standout performer in Europe and played a decisive role in helping Sporting secure a domestic double, winning both the Portuguese league and the Taça de Portugal.
His performances made him Arsenal’s prime target for the centre-forward role, particularly after an injury-ridden campaign for Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
The Gunners ended the 2024-25 season second behind Liverpool, scoring 17 fewer goals than the champions.
Gyokeres’ journey to elite European football began after he left Brighton & Hove Albion for just £1 million to join Coventry City in 2021.
He quickly established himself in the Championship before securing a €20 million move to Sporting in 2023. Across two seasons in Portugal, he racked up 97 goals and 28 assists, leading the club to consecutive league triumphs and a domestic cup.
The Swedish international, who debuted for his country at age 20, has earned 26 caps and scored 15 goals for the national team.
This summer marks Arsenal’s first transfer window under new sporting director Andrea Berta, and the club has moved quickly. Midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard have joined from Real Sociedad and Brentford, respectively.
Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and winger Noni Madueke were signed from Chelsea, while Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera is expected to link up with the squad in Singapore following the finalisation of his move.
‘Gyokeres offers much more than goals’
Analysis by data writer Thom Harris
“There’s quite an obvious appeal to Gyokeres when flicking through the numbers; his 68 league goals since joining Sporting two summers ago is well over double that of any other player in Portugal throughout that time, a brutal finisher, able to generate freakish power on either side.
But there’s more to the Swede than just lasered shots and penalty-box poaching — Gyokeres is a prodigious runner, direct, explosive, and with the physical capacity to repeat those movements at high intensity.
As we can see from his SkillCorner run profile below, comparing his off-ball work to strikers across Europe’s top seven leagues, he’s often targeting the space in-behind, or pulling wide to run the channels, happy to take a defender out wide before powering inside and getting his shot away.
The Premier League, of course, is a different proposition, and while Gyokeres clearly has the physical capabilities to battle it out with the strongest of centre-backs, he may not be afforded quite as much space to attack for a side such as Arsenal, often pass-heavy and patient in their build-up.
He also isn’t prolific in the air, without a single headed goal in league football last season.
But the Swede is a handful, a guaranteed goalscorer, a relentless runner, and a ruthless No. 9 who can turn half-chances into goals. If Premier League teams thought they had figured out Arteta’s Arsenal, this signing would add a new dimension.”
