Arsenal is still working on a deal for the sporty Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres and Mikel Arteta has now broken his silence about the opportunities to land the Portugal star
Mikel Arteta refused to entertain questions about Viktor Gyokeres during a press conference in Singapore, and emphasized that he is not yet the Arsenal player – '' anyway '.
The Gunners are talking to Sporting Lisbon about a deal that would bring Gyokeres, 27 to the Emirates. However, a bottleneck in the negotiations is the structure of add-ons in the deal, where sport wants further payments to be easily feasible.
Speculation about the future of Gyokeres continues to dominate the story in Arsenal despite an influx of new signing sessions in recent weeks.
It was reported that Arsenal had hoped to have gyokeres on board before their pre-season tour, which has now started.
And when Arteta was asked for an update about the Gyokees deal, the exact answer from the Spaniard – where he emphasized that he will only talk about someone until they are part of the group – has fueled a buzz among fans.
“I can't comment yet on a player who is not yet part of our group,” said the Gunners -Baas with a smile when he grilled on Gyokees.
“If we have something concrete to offer to every player, we will do that.”
Arsenal has completed deals for Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Noni Madueke. The signing of Crithian Mosquera, a promising young center-back from Valencia, is also expected to be confirmed by the club.
Further signing sessions are also expected as soon as a deal for a striker is completed. Ebereechi Eze from Crystal Palace remains a serious target, while Arsenal is also credited with an interest in another attacking midfielder who is expected to move this summer in Xavi Simons.
But signing a quality no. 9 was the biggest priority of Arsenal on the way to the summer window and Arteta admits that the club has a long way to go before they are ready to attack the new Premier League season.
He added: “There is still a long time in the window and we are still looking, in terms of figures we are short and we have to improve the depth and quality of the team. We are constantly looking at the market. Until that happens, focus on the players we have and concentrate on them and I am very satisfied with what I have seen in the last 10-15 days.”