Arsenal look set to solve their biggest squad deficiency as they have found their talisman striker.
The 2024/25 season was, by all accounts, wildly successful, as the Gunners finished second in the Premier League table and reached the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League.
Yet Mikel Arteta was forced to scrape together the goal scoring unit for much of the campaign, and they are hoping to give the boss a much more natural solution heading into the 2025/26 slate.
Multiple reports indicate the Gunners are nearing an agreement to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP, who lit Europe on fire last season with a prolific goal scoring tally. At 27 years old, the Swedish international is a late bloomer, but 54 goals across all competitions last season, including six in eight Champions League appearances, tell an impressive story.
The Sporting News has the latest details on how much Arsenal are paying for the arrival of Gyokeres and what kind of a dent he makes on the club’s overall wage bill.
MORE: How to pronounce Viktor Gyokeres’s name
Viktor Gyokeres transfer fee to Arsenal
According to reports, including Chris Wheatley of The Sporting News, Viktor Gyokeres is likely to join Arsenal on a deal worth €63.5 million (£54m/$69m) plus another €10 million (£8m/$11m) in performance-related bonuses, or “add-ons” as they’re known.
The breakthrough in negotiations reportedly came as the two clubs managed to secure a deal devoid of agent fees, lowering the total payment Arsenal would need to make for Sporting to bank their desired net profit.
Wheatley reports that the bonuses were the final sticking point. In the latest offer, around 30% of the bonuses had a low clearance threshold, while the other 70% would be more difficult to achieve.
With just this final hurdle to clear, both sides seem ambitious on the transfer being finalised soon and the terms being set in stone.
Viktor Gyokeres contract, salary at Arsenal after move from Sporting
With the transfer yet to be completed, little is known about his potential contract with Arsenal, but as personal terms have reportedly been agreed to, there is some information out in the public.
According to Spanish publication AS, Gyokeres has agreed to a five-year contract with Arsenal worth approximately €8 million ($9.28m / £6.9m) per year, or about €150,000 ($175,000 / £130,000) per week.
A salary in that range would see Gyokeres earn a relatively team-friendly amount, with 10 Arsenal players making more. According to Capology, Arsenal’s highest earner is Kai Havertz, who is on €325,000 ($380,000 / £280,000) per week, while Gyokeres would slot in around Mikel Merino’s value.
What number will Viktor Gyokeres wear at Arsenal?
Until the club announces his arrival, it’s impossible to know what number the 27-year-old will wear at The Emirates next season.
Gyokeres has worn the classic No. 9 at Sporting CP since joining in 2023, a tradition — and honour — for many strikers around the world.
However, that number is occupied by Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal. It’s possible that Jesus, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in January and is not expected back for a number of months, decides to relinquish the number. If he does not, there are a few other options available to the Sweden international.
Gyokeres wore No. 17 while at Coventry City, his latest stop before joining Sporting, a number currently occupied at Arsenal by Oleksandr Zinchenko. Before Coventry, he wore No. 42 at Brighton, which is unoccupied at Arsenal.
The only single-digit numbers unoccupied at Arsenal currently are 3 and 5, both of which are unlikely to be chosen. The next set of vacant numbers includes 14 and 18, while Leandro Trossard’s 19 could become available if the Belgian departs this summer, as many expect.
