What Viktor Gyokeres has just done speaks volumes as Arsenal sent desperate transfer plea

Viktor Gyokeres has made it abundantly clear that he wants to join Arsenal this summer. The Sporting striker has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium for a while now as Mikel Arteta looks to get his hands on a new striker.

football.london understands that the Gunners want to sign Gyokeres before they jet off to Singapore later this month. Arsenal are currently working on a deal to secure the Swedish international's signature, with Andrea Berta expected to reignite negotiations with the Portuguese champions.

Sporting want €70m (£60.5m) for Gyokeres, with €10m (£8.5m) of which payable in add-ons; however, the north Londoners are looking to offer €65m (£56m), with €15m (£13m) in add-ons. football.london understands that the two clubs have reached an agreement on the total cost of the transfer (€80m/£69m), but the structure of said deal has proven to be an issue.

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Arsenal are long admirers of Gyokeres, with interest dating back to his spell at Coventry City in the Championship a few years ago. football.london understands that the Swede has turned down several approaches from elsewhere in favour of a switch to north London, so personal terms are thought to be a formality.

It takes two to tango, and Gyokeres has been pulling his weight. He didn't return to training this week after reportedly informing the Sporting president, Frederico Varandas, that he wouldn't play for the club again. And in a new development, he has reportedly refused to travel with Sporting Clube de Portugal for their pre-season camp in the Algarve

Ironically, on the day that Gyokeres was due to report for pre-season, he spoke to France Football. The Swede, whose contract at the José Alvalade Stadium expires in June 2028, said: "It’s football, you never know.

"I’m not thinking about it, we’ll see what happens. If something is going to happen, it will happen. The most important thing for me is to play for a club that really wants me."

On the Premier League, Gyokeres said: "It’s one of the biggest leagues in Europe. I spent several years there without being able to play a single match. So, of course, it’s something I would like to do. It would be a great revenge."

On what players impressed him during Sporting's run in the Champions League last term, Gyokeres said: "Yes, of course, there were a lot of players who impressed me.

"When we played against City and Arsenal you could see the quality that they have in the squad is amazing. You could see the midfielders like Bernardo Silva, [Mateo] Kovacic, Arsenal with [Bukayo] Saka.

"Centre-backs that I played against – Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, very good players, good to play against those kind of players."

It's pretty obvious that Gyokeres wants to join Arsenal. His actions this week have spoken volumes. He has clearly sent the Gunners a, 'come and get me' plea!

Sporting could miss out on millions if a deal doesn't go through, whereas the Gunners can just turn their attention to Benjamin Sekso. The Portuguese champions need this transfer to go through.