Arsenal suffer Viktor Gyokeres transfer blow amid Man Utd & Barcelona links

  • Arsenal are leading a competitive race to sign Viktor Gyokeres
  • There had been hopes that the Sporting CP forward will be available for a reduced fee
  • The Portuguese champions are hoping to spark an auction
Viktor Gyokeres is expected to leave Sporting CP this summer
Viktor Gyokeres is expected to leave Sporting CP this summer / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages
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Sporting CP are increasingly confident that they will be able to extract as much as €100m (£86.5m) for Viktor Gyokeres, considerably more than his many suitors initially thought, according to a report in Portugal.

Gyokeres has emerged as one of Europe's deadliest strikers during his two years in Lisbon with a staggering record of almost one goal per game. Sporting have effectively accepted that their star forward will be on his way out of the Alvalade this summer, but his destination - and now his price tag - is very much up in the air.

Arsenal have been tipped to lead the race for Gyokeres' signature thanks to the burst of enthusiasm injected by incoming sporting director Andrea Berta. Manchester United are also thought to be interested while the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool have been floated.

Beyond his sickening goal return, Gyokeres had the added allure of a relatively reasonable price tag. Sporting and the player have supposedly struck an agreement to part ways if a club was willing to offer between €60m-€70m (£50.2m-£58.5m).

However, Sporting believe that they can ramp up the fee by hosting an auction for Gyokeres, according to A Bola. The Portuguese outfit claims that the reigning top-flight champions are hopeful of commanding as much as €100m - which is also thought to be the value of his release clause.

Arsenal have additionally been heavily linked with a move for Alexander Isak, but Newcastle United are expected to demand in the region of £150m for their prized asset.

RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko is another to feature on the club's radar. A slightly more raw option at 21, the Slovenia international is priced at somewhere between €70m (£58m) and €80m (£66m), but doesn't inspire as much confidence in Arsenal's scouts as Gyokeres or Isak, according to The Athletic.


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