ARSENAL have been left to regret not signing a striker this season.
But they are determined not to make the same mistake this summer, with new chief Andrea Berta already working on deals and the club believe they are in an ideal position to snap up their main target.
SPORTING’S GYOKERES PLAN
THERE is an inevitability around Viktor Gyokeres’ departure from Sporting Lisbon this summer as and Manchester United keep tabs on the situation.
The big Swede, 26, was eyeing a move during the past two windows, but a gentleman’s agreement with Sporting has seen him stay put during this season – instead focusing on delivering one last league title this term in a nail-biting finale with Benfica.
As a thank you, Sporting are willing to let – who has 43 goals in 43 games in all competitions so far this term – leave for significantly less than his £85m release clause.
are hoping to recoup between £55m and £70m, a welcome sum given their 24/25 financial reports showed a net transfer loss of around £15m.
However, because of Sporting’s intense title race – level on points with Benfica with seven games remaining – understands the club are yet to pinpoint a first-choice replacement for Gyokeres.
They have made use of the Brazilian market in the past to unearth bargain gems that can be sold for huge profit, but fans this time around are expecting a near like-for-like replacement to continue competing in the Champions League.
In other words, major cash is expected to be splashed. That will not be easy when most of the best teams in Europe – including the – are on the look-out for a No.9.
As a result, Sporting will be tough negotiators in any deal made this summer, which is why they are open to sparking a mega-money bidding war alongside the Saudis.
Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah FC – where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is plying his trade these days – are ready to ruffle a few feathers in the battle for Gyokeres’ signature.
Sporting will want the biggest up-front fee they can get – instead of several low-fee instalments – and Al Qadsiah are capable of offering just that, even if it means going above and beyond Gyokeres’ current value.
That is bad news for Arsenal and , who were hoping to get a clean run at Gyokeres, yet may be forced to pay more than they would have initially planned.
Both clubs believe they are perfectly positioned to convince the Swedish superstar.
Gyokeres is believed to be leaning more towards the Gunners given their current form of competing for the Prem title and the Champions League, as well as boss Mikel Arteta’s record of improving players in the toughest division in world football.
New sporting director Berta is also a huge fan of the player. The Italian’s first task in his new role will be to get a big deal over the line quickly to prove his worth to the Arsenal board and the fans.
However, Gyokeres still has a soft spot for – his old boss at Sporting – and could be swayed regardless of United enduring one of the worst seasons in their history.
Yet with the sort of eye-watering money Saudi teams can lob into the mix, Arteta and Amorim should be wary of putting all their eggs in one Gyokeres-shaped basket.
BERTA IN, BUT WHO CAME CLOSE?
ARSENAL are convinced that is a game-changing recruit in their pursuit of major silverware.
The 53-year-old began work in North London on Monday as the club’s new sporting director, taking the time to meet reporters ahead of Arteta’s midweek press conference at London Colney.
He is a quiet, shy individual, but his reputation as one of the game’s best negotiators is evident following his 12-year stint at Atletico Madrid, with Arteta recently suggesting: “He’s got this personality, this charisma and this drive to win that is going to be very contagious.”;
Whether it is Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko, Leroy Sane or , this is set to be an exciting summer for Arsenal with Berta in the mix.
But what of the others? Arsenal were in talks with a number of candidates in the wake of in November, and one that piqued their interest was Bayer Leverkusen managing director of sport Simon Rofles.
The ex-German international had many admirers on the Arsenal board, playing a major role in the building of a squad that saw Xabi Alonso’s side break Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga stranglehold, winning their first ever domestic title last season.
However, Rofles, 43, who had brief roles as academy coach and sporting director at Leverkusen before taking his current position in July 2022, had no intention of leaving Germany.
SunSport understands that Rofles is incredibly happy at Leverkusen and with the progress being made under Alonso domestically and in Europe.
He has intentions of seeing out a contract that does not expire until June 2028.
TOUTING CONCERNS
THE EMIRATES is preparing for one of its biggest nights since it was opened in 2006, welcoming Real Madrid in a blockbuster quarter final first leg on Tuesday.
But with that comes security concerns, especially with the demand for tickets greater than any Arsenal game in recent memory, and the growing risk of ticket touts and illegal online third-party sales.
The Gunners' solution has been to crack down hard on anyone found guilty of it, especially for the visit of the Galacticos, threatening fines, bans and even police involvement.
So far this season, Arsenal have cancelled more than 31,000 accounts, including 27,603 memberships, attempting to obtain tickets in unauthorised ways.
One Arsenal season ticket holder – speaking with agreed anonymity – told SunSport that while excited for the match, he is concerned about the severe delays that could be caused by ticket touts and those trying to enter the ground with fake tickets, stopping regular fans getting to their seats for kick-off.
However, the club are confident this will be avoided on Tuesday night, citing their million-pound investment to address the issues, the move to digital ticketing helping identify suspicious behaviour early.
And as is the case for every Emirates matchday, there will be undercover third-party operatives in and around the ground on the night of the game, aiming to stop in-person touting deals being done.
KAI’S GARDEN PARTY
ONE Arsenal star first fell in love with football after using garden gnomes for target practice.
was born in the German spa town of Aachen, near the Netherlands and Belgium border, and from a young age would spend hours kicking a ball about in his garden with his grandfather.
He would line garden gnomes up on the wall before practicing his accuracy by trying to hit them over one by one with the ball, and would not stop until they had all been wiped out.
Fast-forward almost two decades and that practice has paid off, surpassing all expectations since arriving in North London in July 2023 with 29 goals in 85 appearances in all competitions so far.
As he recovers from hamstring surgery that has him out until next season, perhaps he will go back to basics with some more ‘gnome-ball’.
