Arsenal Cool on Deal as Talks With Top Scandinavian Talent Stall

Arsenal’s pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres has hit another snag, as the Swedish striker will remain in his homeland rather than join the Gunners on their pre-season tour of Asia.

The north London club is set to depart for Singapore today, Saturday, July 19, but without the 27-year-old Sporting CP forward.

As per reports Arsenal have not made contact with Sporting since submitting their last offer on Monday, July 14, and until a new proposal is put forward that meets the Portuguese club’s demands, Gyokeres will not be authorized to travel to London.

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The timing of events adds intrigue as on the same day Arsenal confirmed the signing of winger Noni Madueke from Chelsea with update on their efforts to land Gyokeres.

Sporting remain firm on their €80 million asking price as Arsenal’s previous bid of €63.5 million plus €10 million in bonuses was deemed insufficient.

The primary sticking point now lies in the structure of the performance-related bonuses. While some clauses, like €2.5 million for 20 appearances, are viewed as realistic, others reportedly fall short of Sporting’s expectations.

The situation has been further complicated by Gyokeres' absence from Sporting’s training camp in Lagos.

The striker has missed seven consecutive days, having been absent since last Saturday.

As per Sporting’s internal disciplinary code, reaching ten unauthorized absences could justify termination of his contract.

However, Sporting is unlikely to take such drastic action, knowing that doing so would allow Arsenal to sign him as a free agent and leave the club empty-handed.

Despite the current deadlock, Arsenal are expected to re-establish contact with Sporting soon. Besides finalizing bonus structures, other technical issues remain unresolved.

These include the solidarity mechanism, which refers to the compensation due to clubs that trained Gyokeres during his youth career.

In addition, there is disagreement over payment terms as Arsenal are seeking to spread payments over multiple installments, while Sporting prefers just two tranches.

With the Gunners now in Asia and their top striker target still in Sweden, time is ticking as this high-stakes transfer saga could drag on into the new season.