Arsenal issued 'cooling off' period as Viktor Gyokeres transfer talks hit wall
Sporting Lisbon have imposed a "cooling off" period over talks with Arsenal on Viktor Gyokeres after reaching a stalemate with the Gunners. The Portuguese club decided to put talks on hold earlier this week after failing to reach an agreement for the Swedish striker, who is pushing hard to join Arsenal.
But Sporting are now ready to resume serious negotiations within the next 48 hours but have so far stuck to their guns over the price as they want around £70m with at least £60m up front and the rest in add-ons.
It is the latest twist in the saga but Arsenal are staying calm and deals can often take longer periods of time as it will be a difficult transfer to complete.
Arsenal made huge progress last weekend and know that 27-year-old Gyokeres is determined to move to the Emirates and personal terms will not be an issue.
But Sporting president Frederico Varandas has been adamant that there is no gentleman's agreement allowing him to leave - and they are determined to stand firm on the price.
READ MORE: Arsenal ready to 'give up' on Viktor Gyokeres transfer over payment frustration
That is the big obstacle but there is still huge optimism that the deal will get done for Gyokeres to become Arsenal's new No9. Gyokeres is making it clear he does not want to return to Sporting in a further stand-off but talks are being seen as drawn out rather than stalled.
The ex-Coventry and Brighton striker Gyokeres left English football to become a huge hit in Portugal where he scored 97 goals in 102 appearances. Arsenal believe he can score the goals to be a hit in English football and they are pushing hard to get business done before they jet off on their preseason tour.
They have announced Brentford's Christian Norgaard in a £12m deal, they have completed a deal on keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and are talking to Chelsea after making a £40m-plus for Chelsea's Noni Madueke.
Arsenal also need to tie down Ethan Nwaneri, 18, who is entering the final year of his contract but wants playing time and the uncertainty around his future - with him fitting perfectly into Chelsea's model - is a huge concern.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
17 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Chelsea eye another attacker with Xavi Simons keen on move
Chelsea have made a check on Xavi Simons with the player believed to be open to a transfer to Stamford Bridge – but a move for another attacker may be dependent on a departure. Despite already signing Liam Delap, João Pedro, Jamie Gittens and preparing for the arrival of Willian Estêvão, Chelsea have not ruled out signing another attacker in this transfer window. They have already registered interest in Alejandro Garnacho, Morgan Rogers and have been linked with Fermín López, and it has now emerged a check has been made on RB Leipzig star Simons. Any firm move for one of their attacking targets, however, may depend on the sale or movement of another of Chelsea's current forwards. Noni Madueke sealed his move to Arsenal last week and there are question marks over the long-term and short-term futures of more Chelsea attackers. Christopher Nkunku is expected to leave the club and his departure would almost certainly lead to Chelsea moving to replace him with a profile of a player such as Simons or Rogers, who can play centrally behind a striker or from the left. João Félix can leave Chelsea this summer, with Benfica interested in re-signing him and other clubs making checks on the Portuguese. As reported by Telegraph Sport, Nicolas Jackson is not deemed untouchable and could leave if Chelsea receive a big bid while teenager Tyrique George may leave on loan to help his development. Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged by the Football Association for doping offences and is facing the threat of a long ban. Chelsea want as many as nine players competing for their attacking positions in the forthcoming season and Simons is thought to be a realistic target. The club's qualification for the Champions League and Club World Cup success has elevated them in the eyes of players based outside England and Simons is thought to be interested in the prospect of moving to Stamford Bridge. Arsenal are believed to have also registered an interest, but it is Chelsea who are currently rated the most attractive of the English options. As reported in Spain, Simons is working with high-profile agent Ali Barat over a summer move. Barat has good links to both Chelsea and Arsenal, having helped facilitate the Madueke switch between the two clubs and also acted for Moisés Caicedo and Jackson in their moves to Stamford Bridge.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
£12m Chelsea star agrees to transfer after just one Premier League start
A Chelsea star reportedly wants to leave the club after just one year and one Premier League start at Stamford Bridge. After spending over £210million on seven new signings, Chelsea's priority for the rest of the summer transfer window is to offload their large number of unwanted players. The list mainly includes members of last summer's 'bomb-squad' who failed to secure permanent exits like Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell. But the Blues are also not afraid to sell off players who haven't been at the club long like Noni Madueke and Djordje Petrovic. And it seems like another young star will cut short his career in west London, with reports claiming that Renato Veiga has said yes to a transfer to Atletico Madrid. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. The Standard say the two clubs are in talks over a deal for the Portugal international whom Chelsea value at upwards of £35m, while there is also interest from Juventus and Bayern Munich. Chelsea bought Veiga from Basel in June last year for £12m, with the highly-rated 21-year-old signing a contract until 2031. Capable of playing left-back, centre-back and defensive midfield, he made 18 appearances under Enzo Maresca, most of which in the Conference League and the domestic cups. More Trending Just one of his seven Premier League appearances game from the start, in the 1-0 away win at Bournemouth in September. Due to the lack of minutes, Veiga was loaned out to Juventus in January and instantly became a first-team regular for the Serie A giants, before ending the season as a Nations League winner with Portugal. Despite his impressive potential, Chelsea decided to part ways with the youngster, leaving him out of their Club World Cup squad. Atletico are keen on signing him after ending their pursuit of Tottenham's World Cup winning centre-back Cristian Romero. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: RB Leipzig set new lower asking price for Chelsea and Arsenal transfer target Xavi Simons MORE: Club expect to receive official Man Utd transfer bid for goalkeeper 'soon' MORE: 'That's crazy' – Paul Pogba questions Man Utd decision to let go of 'great player'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Atletico keen on signing Veiga
Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Chelsea defender Renato Portugal centre-back arrived at Stamford Bridge from FC Basel for £12m last summer but only made seven Premier League appearances before being loaned to Juventus in is understood Chelsea have set an asking price of about £34m for the 21-year-old with Atletico keen to pay less, with both sides confident a deal can be made his international debut in October 2024 and has five caps for Chelsea defender Alfie Gilchrist could also be on his way out, with the club likely to do business at around £5m.
