Club now tells Arsenal to pay €80m for striker with 97 goals in 102 games
Sporting CP have told Arsenal that Viktor Gyokeres will cost a fee of €80 million (£67m) if they want to secure his services this summer, according to the Guardian.
The Gunners are one of the clubs interested in signing the 26-year-old, who has bagged 97 goals in 102 appearances in all competitions for the Portuguese top-flight, but they have other strikers on their radar as well.
Gyokeres has a release clause of €100m, but Sporting will not seek the full value and have resolved to hold out for at least €80m, handing Arsenal and other suitors a boost.
The North London club need a prolific goalscorer if they want to win the Premier League title anytime soon and also challenge for the Champions League, and the Sweden international could be perfect for them.
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta believes he is and is a long-term admirer of his qualities having been monitoring him before he left Atletico Madrid for the Gunners.
Slovenia international striker Benjamin Sesko is also an option for the North Londoners, but RB Leipzig have put an asking price of €110m (£93m) on his head, which could force Arsenal to look elsewhere.
A move for Gyokeres could make sense given that he is complete number 9, with his passing, dribbling and finishing very impressive.
He holds on to the ball brilliantly under pressure and is also a threat from long distances given his knack for playing long shots.
His creativity in direct free-kick situations and threading through balls are skills Arsenal could do with in a striker, and they should not hesitate to get a deal for him over the line.
Qualifying for the Champions League has put them in a favourable position to land him ahead of Manchester United after the Red Devils failed to secure European football, and he could prove to be the missing piece of the puzzle in their bid to dominate the Premier League again.
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