Arsenal will bid to sign a new striker in the summer and one of Mikel Arteta’s targets, who has rejected a transfer to Chelsea, has now been praised for having ‘everything’.
The Gunners are eager to improve their attack after an underwhelming campaign from their recognised centre-forwards. Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah have both struggled for form in front of a net this season. Arteta has also often been without Jesus due to his injury woes.
Jesus has started in just 17 of his 26 Premier League appearances over a possible 29 games in which the 27-year-old boasts four goals and five assists. Nketiah has also only started 10 of his 27 top-flight outings from a possible 37 fixtures, having made each of their teams yet.
Arsenal are targeting a transfer for Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres
Arteta has rarely relied on Nketiah even when Jesus has been absent having also not scored since hitting five goals for the term in October. Jesus has sat out spells after two recurrences of the knee injury he initially sustained at the 2022 Qatar World Cup plus a hamstring injury.
So, Arsenal have identified potential striker targets for the summer transfer window and see Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres as a top option, per Football Transfers. The 25-year-old even sees the Gunners as his first-choice destination after turning down a switch to Chelsea.
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Gyokeres is among Arsenal’s top striker targets after scoring 41 and assisting 15 goals in his first season at Sporting. Now, the Leoes’ centre-half Luis Neto has sung the striker’s praises for everything he has shown since joining the Liga Portugal giants from Coventry City in July.
Luis Neto thinks his Leoes teammate Viktor Gyokeres has ‘everything’
Neto particularly notes Gyokeres’ cameo in Sporting’s 8-0 win over Dumiense in the Taca de Portugal is an ideal example to describe the striker. The Leoes were already 4-0 up when he entered the action, yet Gyokeres still registered a goal and two assists during his 28 minutes.
“Viktor found himself in a place where he had a huge impact on the fans and he knows how to deal with it very well,” Neto said, via quotes by O Jogo. “He is the differentiating element.
“[Gyokeres] has a physical prowess that there are not many words to explain, he has a huge sprint rate [and] he is a player to challenge defences.
“He has something empathetic towards all the players up front, be it Trincao, Paulinho [and so on]. These last two complement each other very well. When we suffered high pressure, we managed to throw a long ball outside at Viktor and the team rose.
“He’s a very hungry player. I remember a cup game in which I even scored, when he came on it was already 4-0 but he didn’t play, he played with everything. Sporting needed players who were very hungry to be champions.”
Arsenal want to negotiate down Sporting Lisbon’s asking price
Gyokeres has fired 27 goals in 32 appearances in Liga Portugal for Sporting, plus nine of his assists. The 25-year-old also scored five and assisted two goals to get his side into the last 16 of the Europa League, plus six goals and four assists to get into the Taca de Portugal final.
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But Football Transfers adds that Arsenal will want to negotiate down Sporting’s asking price to pursue Gyokeres’ transfer this summer. The Gunners are yet to make any approach with the Leoes demanding €80m (£69m) of his €100m (£86m) release clause as an upfront sum.
Arsenal are reluctant to offer Sporting the €80m (£69m) the Leoes are wanting for the initial instalment. But the 6 ft 1 centre-forward remains on Arteta’s radar, having first considered a swoop for the Swede last summer before he switched the Championship for Liga Portugal.