Arsenal given fresh Viktor Gyokeres boost as striker sends goodbye message

Sporting CP appear to be preparing for life without Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres as they close in on a talented young striker. Gyokeres is reportedly inadvanced talks with the Gunners,who are desperate to land a top-class number nine.

A five-year contract is said to have been agreed. The Swedish forward now appears to be Arsenal’s top priority, with a move for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko on the backburner.

Manchester United, whose head coach Ruben Amorim managed the Swedish forward at Sporting, have also been in the frame to land the former Coventry City ace, who has scored 97 goals in 102 games since signing for the Portuguese side in 2023.

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Sporting president Frederico Varandas admitted at the weekend that there is a "strong likelihood" Gyokeres will leave the club this summer and reiterated that they will not hold out for the 27-year-old's release fee, believed to be almost £85million. However, there are claims that Gyokeres has been unhappy with Sporting's financial demands.

With a potentially big hole to fill in their attack, Sporting have been proactive by moving for Peruvian hotshot Victor Guzman from Alianza Lima.

Speaking after Alianza B team’s recent victory over Universitario Deportes, the 19-year-old expressed his excitement about the impending transfer.

Per A Bola, he said: "I am very happy and excited about what lies ahead, and I will continue to work as I have done so far.

“Sporting is a historic club in Portugal, and it is Cristiano Ronaldo’s club. I don’t have the exact day of my trip to Portugal, but it’s next week.”

Paying tribute to Alianza, he added: “I’m very thankful to Alianza. It's a very nice thing for me to have shared all this time with them. They're great people and I know they'll take this club forward.”

Guzman, who has reportedly signed a three-year contract, has been signed with one eye on the future and is expected to link up with Sporting’s under-23 squad initially. He isn’t the only striker being targeted by Sporting, who are keen on Union Saint-Gilloise's Franjo Ivanovic.

Per Germanijak.HR, Sporting have lodged a bid of around £17m, which is short of the Belgian champions’ valuation of £25.6m. Besiktas and Frankfurt, plus clubs in Italy, are also said to be interested in Ivanovic, who netted 20 goals for the Belgian champions last season.

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