Arsenal 'boost' their chances to land £84m-rated striker in January after bold transfer stance change

Arsenal have been searching for a striker all season, but they are yet to sign one. The recent campaign-ending injury to forward Gabriel Jesus has ramped up the pressure on the Gunners to add a goal scorer to their squad, with Kai Havertz now being the only centre forward available.

The Gunners sit second in the Premier League table after beating North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Wednesday night. Goals for the Gunners came from a Dominic Solanke own goal, and Leandro Trossard after they went 1-0 down to a deflected effort by Heung-Min Son after 25 minutes. Mikel Arteta’s search for a striker has led him to be linked with Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, who has also attracted the attention of Chelsea and Manchester United.

However, their pursuit of Gyokeres quietened due to the fact that it looked unlikely that the Sweden international would make a January move. Arsenal began to look at other targets, such as Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. However, they have now reportedly had a change of heart about Gyokeres.

Arsenal switch stance on £84m Gyokeres release clause

The Swedish striker has an £84m release clause in his contract at Sporting CP, meaning that any club could sign him unopposed should they meet the asking price. However, the Gunners were reluctant to pay the fee due to it’s expensive nature. However, according to French outlet L’Equipe, Arsenal have decided that they are no longer reluctant to pay the £84m release clause, which places them as the frontrunners to sign the 26-year-old again.

The only thing holding back any deal for Gyokeres would be the player himself, who wants a move to a top European club. If Arsenal is a destination that he approves of, then a deal could be done as early as in the January window.

However, the Swedish striker may decide that he would prefer a move to Manchester United to join up with his former manager Ruben Amorim, who moved to Old Trafford from Sporting last year. Gyokeres has scored 32 goals in 30 matches in all competitions for the Portuguese side this season. He has also contributed six assists, and his side are left top of the Liga Portugal, currently leading Porto by a point.

Arsenal shortlist several Gyokeres alternatives

With Gyokeres in such high demand, the Gunners haven’t placed all their eggs in one basket, as they have also identified several other strikers that they could sign in January in order to solve their depth problem.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, who is more likely to leave the Italian club in the January transfer window, due to the fact that he’s fallen somewhat out of favour. The Serbian has scored 12 goals in 23 games in all competitions this season.

The Gunners had also identified Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha as a target for the January transfer window, however he has opted to stay with his current club as the battle relegation at the bottom of the Premier League table.