Arsenal set date for Viktor Gyokeres medical as Premier League star 'high' on Mikel Arteta's list

Arsenal are now preparing for their second pre-season friendly, taking on Newcastle United on Sunday in Singapore. The Gunners will be stepping up their preparations for the new season over the coming weeks, and Mikel Arteta has new faces aplenty to work with.

More new arrivals are expected over the course of the coming weeks to follow Thursday’s signing of Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia, including the elusive new striker that Arsenal have been chasing. Here we round up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding the Emirates Stadium.

Gyokeres set for medical

Arsenal are now said to have planned Viktor Gyokeres’ medical after reaching a full agreement with Sporting CP. According to ESPN, the transfer saga is now set to come to an end after weeks of negotiations.

According to the report, Gyokeres will undergo his medical on Saturday ahead of being confirmed as a new Arsenal player. The Sweden international will join the Gunners on their pre-season tour of Asia.

Eze claim

Arsenal were said to be chasing RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, but he was never their prime target, according to Fabrizio Romano. Simons now looks to be heading to Chelsea, but the Gunners have other ideas.

According to Romano, Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze is a player the Gunners prefer, and it’s reported there is a £68million release clause in Eze’s contract, and some of that is made up of bonuses. Romano has said when asked if Simons was a Chelsea target: “Yes, but Eze is higher on their list, and Simons is currently in advanced talks with Chelsea.”

Arteta on recruitment

Mikel Arteta has been speaking over in Asia, and he addressed the plan with new signing. Asked about integrating Cristhian Mosquera, he said: “I'm very happy to have him. It's a player that we have been monitoring for a long, long time and he has decided to join us and we are very, very happy to have him already with us.

“Obviously, once we have analysed everything with a player, we would want to integrate him with the team as soon as possible. With Noni it wasn't possible because he needed some time and he's going to take a short vacation. He said he wants to join straight away, as soon as we are back. But the others, if we can do it immediately, I think it's better, so he can start to join the team, get to know each other and get the ideas that we want to put in the mix.”

Asked about clubs spending big elsewhere, Arteta added: “Well it’s the competition, you saw straight away before the Club World Cup, what Man City did straight away. We've seen Chelsea what they have done, Man United, Spurs and, of course, Liverpool. So you see every club is very, very active. Everybody wants to get better. It's the quality of the squad, the depth of the squad and it’s no different with us.”

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