Viktor Gyokeres on strike! Striker to snub pre-season return in effort to force transfer to Arsenal after broken agreement with Sporting CP

Reports by The Sun state that Sporting fear Gyokeres may not show up to the club's Cristiano Ronaldo Academy HQ for pre-season, amidst claims that the Swedish striker is prepared to go on strike. He feels relations with the club are broken after a 'gentleman's agreement' to sanction an exit worth less than £60million (€69.5m/$82m) was not held up by the club, who are demanding at least £68.5m (€79m/$93.5m). He had previously been given permission to join pre-season a week late, but the club increasingly feel he may not turn up at all.

This all only plays into the hands of Arsenal, who can use this increasingly tense situation between Gyokeres and Sporting to force through a deal. The Portuguese club may eventually need to lower their asking price, as they could otherwise be left with a star player on the books who no longer wants to be there. Manchester United and Juventus are also keen on the striker.

Gyokeres' €24m (£20.7m/$28.2m) move from Coventry City to Sporting in 2023 was a record sale by the English side. The Championship outfit reportedly have a 10% sell-on clause, which could explain Sporting's insistence on selling for a higher price. But if Gyokeres does go on strike, the club may have no choice but to concede these demands in order to complete a deal.

Both parties will hope that any deal is complete before the Gunners jet off to Asia for pre-season on July 19. Gyokeres is said to be their top target but if a deal does not seem plausible, Mikel Arteta may switch his attention to other striker options such as Benjamin Sesko, Julian Alvarez or Ollie Watkins.