Arsenal have been extremely proactive in the summer transfer window with the signings of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, and Christian Norgaard.
The Gunners are also on the verge of closing out on a deal with Noni Madueke from Chelsea.
However, Arsenal’s hunt for a prolific goalscorer this summer continues to be out of their reach as they fail to reach an agreement with Sporting over Viktor Gyokeres.
They remain interested in the Swedish marksman, and they had sent sporting director Andrea Berta to Lisbon, but despite talks, the two parties failed to reach a middle ground.
As per reports on TBR Football, Mikel Arteta is not ready to waste more time, as they have already identified Ollie Watkins as their primary alternative for Gyokeres.
The Gunners were interested in the Aston Villa star in January, but the deal didn’t materialise. Arsenal have reignited their interest in him, albeit as an alternative option.
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As reported by Sporting News earlier, Gyokeres hasn’t returned to Sporting for the preseason as he remains keen on moving to North London.
Arsenal’s offer for Gyokeres is worth £55m ($71m) plus additional performance bonuses of £13m ($16m), which is far from Sporting’s asking fee of £68m ($87m) in full.
Manchester United are also interested in Ollie Watkins
While Arsenal are still trying to find ways to lure out Gyokeres from Lisbon, Manchester Unitedare reportedly making advances to sign Watkins.
The England international is open to a move away from Villa Park this summer, and therefore, a move to United or Arsenal would be key for him.
Watkins has been one of the most consistent forwards in the Premier League in the last few years. Overall, he has scored 75 goals in 184 Premier League games.
He has netted 17 goals and provided 14 assists in 54 matches last season across competitions.
He had a sensational 2023/24 Premier League campaign, and hence Arsenal wanted him in the January window following injuries to their forwards.
They are still interested in him and will make a move if they miss out on Gyokeres after ending their initial pursuit of Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
Meanwhile, United have made him the top target as Ruben Amorim feels he is the ideal striker who can consistently step up and score goals.
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