A Arsenal delegation flew to Lisbon last week to complete the transfer agreements with Sporting related to star striker Viktor Gyokeres.
According to CNN Portugal, sports director Andrea Berta, who joined Arsenal in March to replace Edu, is said to have directly led the negotiating delegation. This meeting was considered a “decisive step” and Arsenal left Lisbon with “almost everything was arranged well” for this deal.
Arsenal has been given personal agreement with Gyokeres, and combined with the latest information, the transfer is moving very close to reality. The expected transfer package between the two clubs will have a total value of about 80 million euros (68.9 million pounds).
However, the only obstacle is the way to allocate the amount between the fixed part and the bonuses arising. The two sides still differ about 5 million euros in the payment structure.
Although the Gyokeres deal was sometimes thought to be deadlock, Portuguese media revealed that Sporting had allowed him to delay the first military festival, showing that the two sides were approaching the final step. This extension period may be the key to the completion of the deal.
After 2 years of playing in Portugal, the striker used to play for Brighton and this Coventry could be about to return to English football. Gyokeres may miss Arsenal's first start training session this week, when the club organized a voluntary training camp in Spain before the official tour.
However, with the recent negotiation speed, Gyokeres is present during the Asian tour – where Arsenal will play the first friendly match against AC Milan on July 23 in Singapore – which is entirely possible.
Last season, Gyokeres, 27, surprised the whole football village when he scored 54 goals and 13 assists after 52 appearances for Sporting in all competitions – a terrible number.