"Everything will be resolved": Sporting president sends message after Arsenal target Gyokeres skips pre-season training
Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas has broken his silence following Viktor Gyokeres’ absence from pre-season training on Saturday.
The Sweden international has already agreed a five-year contract with Arsenal, and talks are ongoing between the clubs over the transfer fee.
Arsenal are prepared to meet the £69 million valuation for the striker, but there is presently a disagreement over the fixed package.
The Gunners are currently £4.3m short of Sporting’s fixed fee demand (£60.6m), and this has reportedly slowed down negotiations this week.
Amidst this, Gyokeres has decided to skip training with Sporting CP and has not travelled with the first-team group for the Algarve training camp in Lagos.
When pressed on Gyokeres’ absence, Varandas said that he is ‘very comfortable’ to keep the Swede for the next three years if his ‘fair market value’ is not paid.
He said (via Fabrizio Romano): “If they don’t want to pay Viktor’s fair market value, we’re very comfortable with that for the next three years.”
He added that the current strategy adopted by the centre-forward will only make it more complicated for him to leave.
Varandas insists ‘everything will be resolved’ with a hefty fine and an apology if Gyokeres were to stay at the club this summer.
He added: “This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club.
“Whoever they are. We’re calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.”
Arsenal have earmarked Gyokeres as the priority striker target after acknowledging that a deal could be difficult to finalise for RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko this summer.
Gyokeres has given the green light for the transfer. The 27-year-old is publicly pushing for the move, having opted not to report for pre-season training at Sporting CP.
There is only a slight difference regarding the fixed package, which should be resolved soon. Arsenal may also need to negotiate bonuses, which are easily achievable.
In our view, Arsenal can’t afford to drag the transfer saga and need a solution in the next few days. Ideally, Gyokeres should be with the squad for the pre-season tour of Asia.
The team will fly out to Singapore on July 19. Hopefully, the saga will end by then. With a tough start to next season, Arsenal need their marquee striker fit and firing from the off.
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