Following the season of his life, it is now believed one player is about to sign for Arsenal after "rapidly" progressing talks in "recent days".
Edu and Arteta looking to make attacking signings for Arsenal
It is no secret that sporting director Edu and manager Mikel Arteta are on the hunt for new attackers to bolster the club's forward line, and could look to make fresh additions both out wide and through the centre.
Arsenal table opening bid for £34 million star after claim he wants to join
The Gunners have submitted an offer.
ByEmilio GalantiniJun 22, 2024
Gabriel Martinelli's form took a slight dip towards the back end of last season, while you could make a case that Arteta is lacking a star alternative to Bukayo Saka on the opposite flank.
This has prompted rumours linking Arsenal with a new wide man, and they've apparently been targeting Spain star Nico Williams, among others, as a result. The La Liga gem racked up double figures in assists for Athletic Bilbao over 23/24, and has really impressed for his country at Euro 2024 thus far.
Williams has held talks over signing for Arsenal, according to some reports, but it is believed that his preference is a move to Barcelona. It will be interesting to see which winger could come to the Emirates Stadium, if not Williams. Meanwhile, Edu is also looking to the market for a new striker.
Arsenal's goals last season came from across the forward line, with Saka, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz finishing the campaign as their top scorers in all competitions.
Bukayo Saka
20
Leandro Trossard
17
Kai Havertz
14
Martin Odegaard
11
Gabriel Jesus
8
However, it remains the case that Arsenal are reportedly very keen to end their near-year-long search for a world-class centre-forward. Arteta wants a striking partner for Havertz ahead of 2024/2025, and the club were involved in a very public race to sign Benjamin Sesko for the role.
The Slovenia international ended up rejecting Edu's advances, though, and instead chose to remain at Leipzig by putting pen to paper on a new contract.
Now, they're being heavily linked with Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres as an alternative. The £39,000-per-week Sweden international racked up a phenomenal 43 goals and 15 assists in the Bundesliga, with Portuguese outlet Leonino claiming earlier this week that Gyokeres is very close to joining Arsenal, with only financial details holding up the transfer.
Gyokeres "about to sign" for Arsenal after rapid talks this week
Now, that same outlet has another update on the matter. Sharing more news, Leonino state that Gyokeres is about to sign for Arsenal for an initial £76 million, after the two clubs reached an agreement over his price. The total operation, including variables and performance-relatred add-ons, could reach as high as £101 million.
Talks between Sporting and Arsenal have "evolved rapidly in recent days", claims the report. Arteta's side believe Gyokeres is the final missing piece of the jigsaw to usurp Man City and finally beat them to a Premier League title.
