Viktor Gyokeres dramatically ignites transfer as stunning 'demand' sets timeline

Viktor Gyokeres has taken strong action to accelerate a potential transfer to Arsenal, with a showdown meeting with Sporting CP set to take place, per the Portuguese media.

Gyokeres appears destined to leave Sporting this summer after two prolific seasons in Portugal, in which he has scored an astonishing 97 goals from 102 games. A return to English football looks likely for the 27-year-old, who previously struggled to establish himself with Brighton and Swansea City before a more successful spell with Coventry City.

Arsenal are in dire need of a new striker to take them to the next level after three consecutive seasons as the runners up in the Premier League. Along with RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, Gyokeres is one of the two names most heavily linked with them to fill the spot.

Like Arsenal, Gyokeres’ options are also two-fold, with Manchester United also in the mix to reunite him with his former Sporting boss, Ruben Amorim. But some bold claims in Portugal are pointing Gyokeres in the direction of the Emirates Stadium rather than Old Trafford.

According to Correio da Manha, Gyokeres now ‘demands’ a ‘face-to-face meeting’ with Sporting’s president, Frederico Varandas.

The overarching theme of the showdown talks would be that Gyokeres feels there have been ‘unfulfilled promises’ which are conspiring against his hopes of securing a big transfer.

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For example, Sporting were assumed to be willing to let Gyokeres go for less than his €100m (£85.4m/$117.2m) release clause in gratitude for his decision to stay with them after his incredible first season.

But there’s now a misunderstanding about what kind of transfer fee Sporting would actually accept for the Sweden international.

While all that nitty-gritty gets resolved, the report mentions Arsenal – and not Man Utd – as the club Gyokeres is pushing to join.

When Gyokeres transfer meeting will take place

His clear-the-air meeting with Sporting won’t take place for a while, either, so the saga could rumble on. The report explains that Gyokeres will return to Lisbon for pre-season training on July 7, a week later than some of his teammates.

Only after he is back in training would his talks with Varandas take place, so there will be at least another week of speculation on his future.

Reports elsewhere in Portugal have claimed this weekend that Arsenal have agreed with Gyokeres’ agent that a transfer fee of around €60m (£51.2m/$70.3m) plus €10m (£8.5m/$11.7m) in bonuses is what they should be working towards.

This would reach the €70m (£59.8m/$82.1m) package Gyokeres’ entourage originally thought Sporting would be letting him go for, before recent claims of a price surge to €80m (£68.3m/$93.8m).

Sources recently told TEAMtalk that Gyokeres is open to joining Man Utd, so Arsenal would have to work on the player side of negotiations too, but the latest speculation from Portugal paints a picture of a player who would be equally happy to sign for Arsenal.

That said, Sesko remains a player Arsenal admire significantly. Any obstacles they are facing on that front – such as his wage demands – could see them refocus their energies on Gyokeres.

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Viktor Gyokeres: Inside his unusual rise to the top

By Ryan Baldi

Gyokeres is one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe at present. And with previous spells at Brighton, St. Pauli and Coventry, he’s taken an unusual path to the top.

The Stockholm native was just 19 years old when he signed for the Seagulls after impressing with IF Brommapojkarna in the Swedish second tier and winning the Golden Boot at the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He started out in Brighton’s under-23s and made eight senior appearances in total for the club, but he never featured in a Premier League match.

Gyokeres was only mildly productive during a loan spell with St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga in the 2019-20 season, scoring seven goals in 28 games. And a loan with Swansea City in the Championship over the first half of the following campaign brought even less fortune for the 6ft 2ins striker, who was scoreless across 11 league outings.

It was then on to Coventry, in another loan deal, for the second half of the 2020-21 season. Although he found the net just three times in 19 appearances, the Sky Blues evidently saw enough potential in the forward to make the move permanent, agreeing a £1 million deal with Brighton.

And it proved to be money incredibly well spent. Gyokeres scored 18 goals in 47 all-competition games in his first full season with the club. He built on that performance the following season, too, bagging 22 times in 50 games, firing Mark Robins’ side into the play-offs and earning a place in the 2022-23 EFL Championship team of the Season.

Gyokeres’ superlative form with Coventry caught the eye of Sporting, who splashed a club record £16.6million (€20m, $20.26m) to sign the Swede in July 2023.

In Lisbon, Gyokeres has developed into not only a frighteningly prolific goal-scorer but also one of the most well-rounded elite forwards in Europe.

At Coventry, he’d thrived in a counter-attacking side by utilising his searing pace to attack opponents with blistering runs into the half-spaces, often driving through the inside-left position before cutting centrally to finish with his stronger right foot.

He has retained those traits in Portugal, too, while also developing his ability to find space in the penalty area with savvy, sharp movements over short distances. And, as Sporting are a more possession-based outfit than the Sky Blues were during his time in England, Gyokeres has improved his creativity and hold-up play, employing his large frame to shield the ball and feed midfield runners.

Especially when he worked under Ruben Amorim, Gyokeres has led Sporting’s efforts to regain the ball from the front by closing down defenders and intelligently jumping into passing lanes to grab interceptions and launch attacks from within the final third of the pitch.

Gyokeres finished the season with 29 goals in 33 league games, powering Sporting’s title triumph and named the Primeira Liga’s top scorer and Player of the Year, adding to six Player of the Month awards in Portugal.

Gyokeres’ stats by season for Sporting CP

It wasn’t just a flash in the pan, either, with Gyokeres not just retaining his form but exceeding it further in his second season – and even after the departure of Amorim to Manchester United.

Not affected by the chance of a summer exit passing him by, Gyokeres scored 54 goals from 52 games in 2024-25, also adding 13 assists. There was another golden boot to be added to his collection, as well as one more player of the month prize.

He is looking better value for money with each passing goal-laden week.

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