In order to seal the signing of Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was able to persuade the team to make a significant shift. Since the 2024–2025 season ended, it has been obvious that Arsenal and a number of its Premier League opponents were hoping to add a striker when the summer transfer market opened.
The Gunners may have finally landed a contract for Sporting star Gyokeres following weeks of negotiations, but players like Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko were heavily linked to a move to the Emirates.
Gyokeres is reportedly going to sign a five-year contract with Arsenal, which will include an upfront payment of approximately £55 million (€63.5 million) and an additional €10 million in bonuses.
And as the deal’s completion draws nearer, some of the steps taken to ensure Gyokeres’s arrival have been made public, including the one thing Arteta had to persuade Arsenal to undertake.
However, Sporting has been difficult to work with on the sale, and there are rumors that the reason for the delay is a disagreement about the type and format of the extras that will be offered. Sporting is rumored to be close to signing a replacement for Gyokeres, so there is hope that a deal can be reached fairly quickly.
Following their departure for Singapore and Hong Kong for their preseason tour, Arteta was questioned about Gyokeres’ chances of joining the Gunners before the start of the upcoming campaign.
Arteta refused to comment on any player who was not yet a member of our organization. We will do so whenever we have a tangible offer to provide to any player, regardless.
Arteta was irritated by this and reportedly made a compelling case to have the budget approved this summer, which helped them convince Gyokeres to sign the statement.
Gyokeres’ acquisition hasn’t been simple, though, as Arsenal is still contending that the £5 million bonus stipulations in the agreement are too simple to fulfill.