Arsenal have submitted an ‘official offer’ for Viktor Gyokeres, while the signing of goalkeeper Joan Garcia is already close.
The Gunners’ season has reached a disappointing conclusion with their exit from the Champions League, but the past few days have allowed sporting director Andrea Berta to really step up his planning for the summer transfer window.
In addition to bolstering their midfield options, Arsenal are desperately scrambling to add a reliable No.9. Viktor Gyokeres has emerged as the top target since Berta’s appointment, and the North London club are now making concrete moves.
According to Saturday’s print edition of Correio da Manha, Arsenal have submitted their first formal bid worth around €75 million for the Sporting CP striker, with whom they have already agreed personal terms.
Arsenal close in on Gyokeres and Garcia
Interestingly, the Portuguese outlet states that Sporting president Frederico Varandas is holding out for a better deal despite a gentleman’s agreement to let Gyokeres leave for around €70m. Varandas, it is claimed, is hoping for a bidding war, with Chelsea also said to be keen.
This means that Arsenal will still have to do a bit of convincing before they can finalise the signing of Gyokeres. More advanced appears to be a deal for Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
The Independent asserts that Arsenal are now ‘close’ to signing the 24-year-old, whom they already wanted to bring in last summer. The Spaniard is expected to compete with – and perhaps even replace – compatriot David Raya for the No.1 position.
It will be interesting to see if Garcia can supplant Raya. Mikel Arteta certainly raised eyebrows with his goalkeeper comments after the defeat to PSG. “If you want to win the Euros, the World Cup, the Champions League, you need a keeper who wins you a tie,” he said.
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