Arsenal are preparing to make a second bid for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres with Man Utd set to respond, according to reports.
The Gunners have already got a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder ‘done and signed’ despite reports that Spanish giants Real Madrid could hijack the transfer.
And their next big transfer targets are reportedly a new centre-forward and winger with Arsenal quite far down the road on a deal for Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
But issues over getting the Bundesliga side to drop their asking price with the Slovenian striker reportedly becoming ‘hugely frustrated’ at the situation.
That has seen Arsenal turn towards Gyokeres, according to widespread reports in Portugal, despite the Sporting CP president’s insistence that they won’t sell for €70m this summer.
Updating everyone on Gyokeres’ situation, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said on his YouTube channel earlier this week: “Gyokeres was and remains an option for Arsenal in terms of new striker. Because at the moment my information is Arsenal are advancing on the deal for Benjamin Sesko.
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“So Sesko is the clear favourite, there are conversations ongoing. But it’s still not a done deal. So until the Sesko deal is a done we have to be careful.
“At the moment Sesko remains the favourite, Viktor Gyokeres remains the other option on the table, but as it’s now two or three weeks that Arsenal are still not advancing on the Gyokeres deal, all the other clubs keep calling his agents.
“That’s what happened in the last 48 hours over the weekend. From what I heard, last week Man Utd had new contacts with Viktor Gyokeres’ camp, to be informed on the situation, something like ‘okay, if Arsenal are not doing the deal we are still there, we are still interested’.
“Then for Man Utd we have to see financially how they can make it happen, because with Champions League football I’m 99 per cent convinced that they were going to close the Gyokeres deal quite quick. That was the feeling.
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“Then no Champions League football, they lost the [Europa League] final in Bilbao, and so it’s more complicated financially.
“But for Gyokeres, Man Utd called again. Let’s see if they’re able to make it happen but there were new contacts with the agent of the player.”
After reports that Arsenal have made an opening bid for the Swede, Portuguese outlet Maisfutebol insist that the Gunners ‘are already preparing a second offer’.
It is the Premier League club’s ‘aim is to improve the fixed value of the offer and, with that, exceed the 70 million euros in total deal (fixed value + bonuses for objectives)’.
Their initial showed Arsenal ‘willing to pay a fixed amount below 60 million euros (something around 55 million euros), but which, with bonuses for objectives, could reach close to 65 million euros’.
After the ‘urgent request’ by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, it is claimed that ‘there has been growing optimism among the Swedish international’s representatives regarding a positive outcome’.
While Man Utd ‘continue to say that they are ready to make an official offer of 60 million euros fixed, with another 10 million euros for objectives’.
