VIKTOR GYOKERES will consider a worst-case-scenario loan move away from Sporting Lisbon should his dream Arsenal switch fall through.
But SunSport understands the Swede has been encouraged by recent negotiations as the Portuguese giants stick to their £68.9m evaluation.
Viktor Gyokeres has a ‘Plan B’ if he can’t join Arsenal this summer[/caption]
Mikel Arteta is closing in on ending his lengthy pursuit of a world class No.9, having also targeted Red Bull Leipzig’s 22-year-old Benjamin Sesko.
Yet Arteta is believed to have settled on 27-year-old Gyokeres, who was always favoured by sporting director Andrea Berta, netting an astonishing 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting since August 2023.
Arsenal remain locked in talks with Sporting, with SunSport revealing that the North Londoners are currently £4.3m away from the asking price of £60.3m up front and £8.6m in add-ons following face-to-face meetings in Lisbon.
Personal terms are already in place on a five-year-deal, with the add-ons in the deal relating to goal and trophy bonuses.
The Swedish goal machine, alongside agent Hasan Çetinkaya, is quietly confident he will be an Arsenal player in the coming weeks, with Arteta keen to include him on their pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong from July 19 to August 2.
But SunSport understands the player has a ‘Plan B’ should he not make the Emirates switch – waiting until the end of the summer window and going out on loan to a European club.
This is not an unfamiliar tactic – Victor Osimhen pulled off the same move last summer when deals to leave Napoli for Saudi side Al-Ahli and then Chelsea fell through at the last minute.
The 26-year-old Nigerian striker decided against remaining in Italy, instead joining Galatasaray on a season-long loan, scoring 37 goals in 41 appearances.
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Reports suggest that Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce are among those sniffing around in case Gyokeres needs a loan move this summer, while Manchester United and Juventus have also been monitoring the situation.
However, with Gyokeres turning 28 next June, his camp view this summer as the best time to secure the biggest move of his career when he is at the peak of his powers.
Gyokeres says he will never play for Sporting again in an attempt to push the deal through, and will boycott pre-season training, which begins on Friday.
This anger stems from a belief that Sporting have gone against a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ to allow him to leave this summer for around £60m, despite his current contract running until 2028.
Arsenal still have an eye on Sesko should they not get Gyokeres over the line – the Slovenian is valued at around £70m and has a contract in Germany until 2029.
