Viktor Gyokeres Nears Deal with Next Club Amid Sporting Lisbon Exit Rumors

Viktor Gyokeres is close to reaching an agreement with his next club as he nears a Sporting Lisbon exit. The 27-year-old has been linked with a move away from Portugal since the start of the transfer window. He has scored 52 goals in all competitions, establishing himself as one of Europe's top-performing strikers.

Gyokeres has been linked with Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus, and Liverpool this summer. A new report suggests that he has decided on his next club and is close to signing for them. L'Equipe reported that the Sweden international is in talks with Arsenal, led by sporting director Andrea Berta. Gyokeres has expressed his desire to join Arsenal, and his agent Hasan Cetinkaya is nearing a verbal agreement.

However, Arsenal and Sporting are yet to finalize a deal. Sporting's president, Frederico Varandas, stated that no club has met their asking price for the striker. Gyokeres' camp accused Sporting of not honoring an agreement made last summer to let him leave for €60 million plus €10 million in add-ons. Varandas countered by accusing them of 'blackmail' against the club.

If an agreement is reached, Gyokeres would end Arsenal's search for a center forward. Last season, manager Mikel Arteta had to rotate between Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard, and Raheem Sterling due to injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. Jesus will miss the start of the upcoming season after tearing his ACL in January.