Arsenal tipped to battle Barcelona as £85m striker set to be available for 'substantially less'

Arsenal look to have been handed a boost in their pursuit of long-term striker target Viktor Gyokeres, with Sporting CP reportedly ‘ready to sell’ the Swedish star. They could, however, face competition from La Liga giants Barcelona who are also said to be keen on the goal-scoring ace.

The Gunners have been keen admirers of the 25-year-old ex-Coventry star following the star’s exceptional 2023/24 campaign in which he scored 43 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions. Gyokeres has since gone on to rack up eight goals and three assists in his first six appearances in the ongoing campaign, highlighting to prospective buyers that he has no intention of slowing down.

Heading into the summer, it was widely suspected that the Gunners would be seeking a new striker but, after welcoming Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, Neto and Raheem Sterling to the mix, no new number nine was bought.

It was thought that one reason for the Gunners failure to bring in Gyokeres, despite such strong links between the two parties, pertains to the Swede’s £85m release clause. Such a figure would most assuredly put off Gyokeres’ other admirers, Barcelona, who are continuing to endure financial difficulties which are affecting how easily they can splash such large amounts of cash.

However, the latest report from Football Transfers claims that not only would Sporting now be ‘open to selling’ Gyokeres in January after he was ‘disappointed’ to miss out on the move to the Emirates in the summer, but that the striker could well be available for a fee ‘substantially less’ than the aforementioned release clause.

Recently, the Sporting president admitted he was frustrated how players he considered to be weaker than Gyokeres were valued much higher. However, it now appears that a discussion between the player and club is set to take place, with an agreement to be made over whether the club will ask for the full price of the striker’s release clause to be met.

Football Transfers report was further supported by Fichajes who have said that Sporting are ‘ready to sell Gyokeres in January. However, the Spanish media outlet did suggest that the goal-scoring sensation would only be sold if a club comes with a €100m.