Why Viktor Gyokeres' team-mates weren't surprised by his behaviour as he faces fine
Sporting CP's players were reportedly unsurprised by Viktor Gyokeres ' absence from their pre-season training camp in the Algarve. It now seems only a matter of time before the Swedish striker completes a transfer to long-time admirers Arsenal.
The race to sign Gyokeres, who has scored a staggering 97 goals in only 102 games for his Portuguese employers, has been the talk of the summer transfer window, with both the Gunners and Premier League rivals Manchester United keen to bolster their forward lines.
Gyokeres supposedly turned his nose up at the idea of reuniting with Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, and now, after he failed to return for Sporting's pre-season preparations this week and remains missing from their Algarve training camp, reports suggest his representatives are in London to seal a £69million move.
Arsenal ambitiously hope a transfer can be completed by the end of this week, so the 27-year-old may join Mikel Arteta's side on their pre-season tour of Singapore.
The Swede's training snub landed him in hot water, and he has since been slapped with a hefty fine and forced to apologise to his team-mates. However, it seems as though his peers saw this absence coming.
Portuguese outlet A Bola reports that Gyokeres' potential exit has not been discussed openly within Sporting's cohort. However, many of the club's players anticipated the striker missing their pre-season in light of his potential Premier League switch.
Sporting's coach, Rui Borges, is also thought to have expected Gyokeres to be absent from his plans for the upcoming season, and he has been preparing accordingly.
Even the club's president, Frederico Varandas, admitted that it is incredibly likely Gyokeres will depart this summer, with the Emirates now looking like his new home.
"If you ask me today, there is a strong possibility that Viktor will leave," Varandas admitted last month. "In the last few weeks, we have been keeping an eye on the market. I saw a player like Zubimendi, who is six months younger than Viktor, go to Arsenal for £56m.
"I saw two players being sold in the Premier League, Matheus Cunha and [Bryan] Mbeumo, forwards who do not have the quality of Viktor, in my opinion. [They] were sold for around £65m. We are talking about players who are 26 years old.
"So, given the demands we make in relation to Viktor's value, I believe he could leave, unless he has the worst agent in the world. Which I find hard to believe, because he is one of the best footballers in the world."
While Gyokeres seems likely to wear an Arsenal shirt next season, further reports from Portugal suggest that a dispute over add-ons has halted negotiations. Sporting want the add-ons to be 'easily achieved', but the Gunners are supposedly resisting, and both clubs are currently at odds over this stipulation.
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