Arsenal have officially completed the signing of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.
The Gunners finally have their big-name No.9 – or, rather, No.14. Arsenal had been sorely missing a top-class centre-forward, and they have now moved to rectify this.
Gyokeres has been formally announced as a new Gunners player, joining from Portuguese champions Sporting CP in a €63.5 million deal, which could increase by a further €10m if all bonuses are triggered.
The unveiling of Gyokeres has now officially brought the curtain down on one of the biggest and most bizarre transfer sagas of the summer as the Swede accused Sporting of having reneged on an agreement to let him leave for €70m this summer.
The situation became a veritable war between the two parties, with Sporting insisting that they won’t be ‘blackmailed,’ while Gyokeres refused to turn up for training. Even legal avenues were explored to see if the striker could be punished for a breach of contract.
Arsenal sign Gyokeres
Thankfully, the situation was eventually resolved with Arsenal upping their offer, Gyokeres’ agent waiving his commission and the player forfeiting €2m of his salary.
With his move now under wraps, Gyokeres is expected to join up with the rest of Mikel Arteta’s squad on their pre-season tour of Asia. Going forward, the Sweden international will wear Thierry Henry’s iconic No.14 shirt.
The signing of Gyokeres takes Arsenal’s summer spending to over €230m, with the 27-year-old becoming the Gunners’ sixth recruit of the current window.
Arsenal could yet do more business as they continue to explore a potential move for Crystal Palace and England star Eberechi Eze, another player who will not come cheap. FootballTransfers understands that Arsenal are confident of striking a deal for the versatile attacker.
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