Arsenal close on Gyökeres after signing Zubimendi in £50m-plus deal

Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting after agreeing personal terms with the Sweden striker, reports London’s The Guardian. Negotiations are continuing over a fee for the 27-year-old, with Arsenal hoping to strike a deal for less than the £68m asking price.

Gyökeres has made no secret of his desire for a new challenge, having scored 54 goals for Sporting last season, and is understood to have made clear he wants to join Arsenal despite interest from elsewhere in the Premier League, including Manchester United.

Arsenal had identified Gyökeres as one of their two main targets to add firepower, with strong interest also in RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. With Mikel Arteta keen to bring in reinforcements as soon as possible, Arsenal’s sporting director, Andrea Berta, is understood to have stepped up efforts to sign Gyökeres after the arrival of the midfielder Martín Zubimendi was confirmed on Sunday.

Gyökeres, who joined Sporting from Coventry in 2023, is believed to have agreed a five-year deal at the Emirates. It is understood that his former club Brighton would be due money under a sell-on clause.

Zubimendi, who turned down Liverpool last summer, has joined on a five-year deal. The Spain international was heavily linked with Real Madrid in recent weeks despite being understood in March to have a pre-agreement to join Arsenal.

Arteta made the 26-year-old his primary midfield target as Arsenal attempt to bridge the gap after three successive runners-up finishes in the Premier League, and Zubimendi’s signing represents a major boost after the departures of Jorginho and Thomas Partey at the end of their contacts last week. Partey was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault – allegations he denies – three days after leaving.

Arsenal are believed to have been searching for midfield replacements since last summer, with Zubimendi emerging as their preferred option thanks to his impressive displays for Real Sociedad and Spain. Their attempts to sign him last summer alongside Mikel Merino – who left Real Sociedad for about £32m – are understood to have been rejected because the Spanish side did not want to lose both players in the same transfer window.

Arsenal were able to secure a pre-agreement in March after continuing talks. The fee is believed to be slightly more than his release clause of £51m after they fought off late interest from Madrid, whose new manager, Xabi Alonso, coached Zubimendi for Real Sociedad’s B side.

“Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me,” Zubimendi told his new club’s website. “It’s a young, highly motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come.”

Brentford’s Christian Nørgaard is also expected to complete his move to north London after the clubs agreed a deal worth up to £15m, and Arsenal are understood to have discussed personal terms with Chelsea’s Noni Madueke and are weighing up whether to bid for the England international.

Arteta said of Zubimendi: “Martín is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team.”