According to reports, Arsenal have decided to ‘freeze’ their move for Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres as they ‘look at’ two alternatives.
Arsenal are in the market for a new striker as they cannot afford to go another window without signing a forward after missing out on targets in previous windows.
The Gunners were punished for their transfer market failures in the 2024/25 campaign as injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz left the Premier League giants without a recognised striker during the run-in.
This contributed to their disappointing campaign as they failed to win a trophy and finished second in the Premier League for a third consecutive season.
Arsenal cannot afford to get this summer’s transfer window wrong and they are in the market for some marquee signings as they look to beat Liverpool to the Premier League title next season.
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Conflicting reports have emerged on Arsenal’s targets in recent months and it’s currently unclear whether they prefer Gyokeres or RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko.
2025 top scorer in Europe contender Gyokeres is also attracting interest from Man Utd and he’s become embroiled in a heated dispute with Sporting Lisbon over an exit.
Gyokeres hoped his exit would be seamless as he felt he had a gentleman’s agreement to depart Sporting Lisbon for around £60m this summer, but club chiefs have gone back on their supposed word to demand a higher fee for their prized asset.
While it’s been suggested that he is ‘very keen’ on a move to Man Utd to reunite with Ruben Amorim, it emerged on Saturday that he has decided to reject the Red Devils as he favours Arsenal.
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Despite this, Gyokeres’ proposed move to Arsenal is far from certain as a report from Portuguese outlet Record claims they have ‘frozen’ their deal for the forward.
This is because the Gunners are ‘fed up’ with Sporting Lisbon’s ‘demands’ as he has been deemed ‘too expensive’ with them said to be holding out for 80 million euros (£68m).
Regarding alternatives, it is claimed that they are ‘looking at’ Sesko, while Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins – who was targeted in January – is ‘under control’ as another option.
Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand has urged Gyokeres to “cause a nightmare” at Sporting Lisbon to force an exit.
Ferdinand said: “I’ll tell you one thing, I would be in his [Varandas’] office and he wouldn’t be able to leave me.
“I’d be in his bed, I’d be in his front room, his kitchen, he wouldn’t be able to get me out of his sight.
“I’d be causing him a nightmare to get out if we’d had an agreement.
“I did that when I was at Leeds. I heard that Manchester United were interested in me and I knew had to let me go.
“I went to Peter Ridsdale and said, ‘Listen, I know you need to sell me, let’s not haggle over a couple of million here and there and let’s get a deal done’, and I was there for hours waiting and ended up getting it done.”
