Viktor Gyokeres has spoken to his Sporting Lisbon team-mates about his future plans as Arsenal try to beat the competition to the £60million signing in the summer transfer window
Arsenal may have one game left this season, but they have already begun pushing ahead with their plans for the summer transfer window. The Gunners wrap up their campaign against bottom club Southampton on Sunday and are preparing for a busy summer.
Mikel Arteta’s side have secured Champions League football for next season and are all but assured of finishing second after their 1-0 win over Newcastle on the weekend. That result means they can relax when they head to St Mary’s Stadium this weekend and can turn their attention to the summer ahead.
New sporting director Andrea Berta will be a busy man, with a top-class centre-forward the first item on the club’s wish list after a third straight runners-up place in the Premier League. There are plenty of other deals to be done though, including offloading the unwanted players in the squad.
Viktor Gyokeres in the name on every Arsenal fan’s lips right now and the Gunners are going all out to secure his services. With that in mind, here are the latest headlines from Mirror Football on the club’s transfer efforts.
READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Gyokeres ‘chooses’ Arsenal, Liverpool get Nunez boost, Man Utd latestREAD MORE: Arsenal told to pay eye-watering sum to sign Chelsea star in shock transfer
Gyokeres opens up to team-mates
Viktor Gyokeres has told his Sporting team-mates that he’s unsure where he will be playing football next season. Sporting secured the league on the weekend and are now fully focused on beating Benfica on Sunday to win the Portuguese Cup.
Gyokeres has been strongly linked with a £60million move to Arsenal, but Sporting midfielder Pedro Goncalves says he isn’t certain where he’ll move yet, with football the current focus. “I asked him and we all asked him. He says he’s not a fortune teller. We still have the Portuguese Cup against Benfica to play,” he told Canal 11.
New sporting director Andrea Berta has made signing Gyokeres his top priority and, as Mirror Football reported recently, the Gunners believe they are in pole position, having got ahead of the competition by making it clear they are ready to pay the asking price and hand the Swede a deal worth £7m per year.
Arsenal enter Jorginho talks
Arsenal are set to release Jorginho early so he can join Flamengo in time to play at this summer’s Club World Cup. Jorginho’s contract will expire at the end of June, but, like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid, Flamengo want him to join earlier, so he can feature in the Club World Cup.
Arsenal are currently in talks to make this happen and are willing to play ball as a show of good faith to the Italian midfielder, who is a favourite of Mikel Arteta’s. Flamengo play their first match in the Club World Cup on June 17, but the midfielder’s current deal won’t expire until the end of the month.
He joined Arsenal from rivals Chelsea for a reported fee of £12million back in the summer of 2023 and has gone on to make 79 appearances in all competitions during his time at the club, becoming a trusted and experienced pro in the middle of the pitch.
Calafiori speaks out
Riccardo Calafiori has denied he is looking to leave the Gunners. Calafiori only moved to the Emirates Stadium in the summer when the Gunners signed him in a £42m deal from Bologna.
But following an injury-disrupted debut campaign, he has been linked with a move to AC Milan. He has now attempted to pour cold water on those links. “I am very happy at Arsenal. In my opinion, what was missing was just continuity this year,” he told gianlucadimarzio.com.
“I will try to be more consistent next year. When I was good, I always played and I also made the difference. The goal is just to stay in shape all year. For me personally, [my first season in England] was a great experience. Obviously when you win trophies it’s always better.
“Here I measured myself against the most important and difficult championship in the world. I saw that I can be there easily, this made me very happy and I am convinced of the choice I made. A regret? None, absolutely.”
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