Gyokeres gets green light to complete Arsenal £63.8m move

Viktor Gyokeres has been given clearance to complete his £63.8m move to Arsenal after a total agreement was reached with Sporting.

The 27-year-old is expected to take a medical in London to finalise the move before flying out to join up with the squad for their pre-season tour of Asia.

Arsenal are set to pay a £55.1m (€63.5m) fixed fee plus £8.7m (€10m) in add-ons.

Negotiations around the bonuses dragged on for more than a week until there was a breakthrough earlier this week.

It is understood that Sporting were still analysing the contracts for much of Thursday before being satisfied there was a total agreement.

Sporting are believed to be satisfied that they will receive the full amount, as the add-ons are deemed to be easily achievable.

Gyokeres’ agent waived his commission of around £5.6m to help talks progress over the guaranteed fee.

Arsenal play Newcastle in Singapore on Sunday and then face north London rivals Tottenham in Hong Kong on Thursday.

Mikel Arteta is keen to integrate all his new signings into the squad as soon as possible ahead of the new season.

Bringing in a striker has been a primary focus for Arsenal in this transfer window – they have explored conditions for a number of players, including RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

After joining Sporting from Coventry City for around £20m in 2023, Gyokeres has scored an incredible 97 goals in just 102 matches during his two seasons in the Portuguese capital.

Gyokeres netted 54 goals in only 52 games in all competitions last campaign, including a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League, as he helped Sporting win the league and the Portuguese Cup.

A move to Arsenal sees Gyokeres return to English football, having joined Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2018, before moving to Coventry after loan spells at St Pauli and Swansea City.

Gyokeres scored 43 goals for Coventry in his two and a half seasons with the Championship side.

Arteta tight-lipped on Gyokeres

Gunners boss Arteta remained tight-lipped on his side’s pursuit of Gyokeres ahead of Arsenal’s pre-season game with Newcastle on Sunday in Singapore.

When asked about the Sweden forward said: “You know I cannot talk about a player who is not ours yet.

“Whatever happens in the next few hours, I’m sure the club will make a statement about it.”

He did give some indication about whether any hypothetical signing – say a certain Sporting striker, for instance – might join up with the squad for the rest of the club’s tour of the Far East, though.

“Yes, for sure,” he said. “Obviously, once we have finalised everything with a player, we want to integrate him with the team as quickly as possible.

“With Noni [Madueke], it was impossible because he needed some time [after the Club World Cup]. I think he’s going to take a shorter vacation than he deserves because he wants to join us straightaway, as soon as we’re back.

“I think immediately is better so they can start to join the team, get to know each other and get the ideas we want to put in their minds.”

Analysis: Is Gyokeres Arsenal’s missing piece or a gamble?

For years, the football world called for Arsenal to sign a striker and the Gunners have finally responded. Viktor Gyokeres is on his way to the Emirates.

The move is set to be a standout one for the Premier League – no player in Europe’s top eight divisions matched Gyokeres’ 39 league goals for Sporting last season and it could herald the arrival of another elite goalscorer for the division.

But it is even more significant for Arsenal, given their spending under Mikel Arteta.