Arsenal Breaks Through Bonus Deadlock to Secure Viktor Gyokeres' Ballon d'Or Clause
Arsenal have reportedly reached a comprehensive agreement with Sporting CP regarding the acquisition of star forward Viktor Gyökeres following the resolution of contentious bonus clauses.
This development concludes an extensively prolonged transfer pursuit that witnessed the North London club explore various striker alternatives before focusing on Gyökeres and entering protracted discussions.
Contract negotiations with the Swedish striker were completed previously, alongside mutual understanding with Sporting concerning the total transfer value: €73.5 million (£63.7 million, $86.2 million).
After a significant development this week, The Guardian reports that the "challenging matter" concerning €10 million (£8.7 million, $11.7 million) in performance bonuses has been "settled".
Arsenal's revised proposal is now believed to "meet the requirements" of the Portuguese club, who insisted on easily attainable bonus conditions. Conversely, the Gunners preferred more demanding criteria and had proposed including a provision that would only activate if Gyökeres claimed the Ballon d'Or.
Sporting, wanting bonuses linked to appearances, scoring records, assists and Champions League participation, were initially satisfied with only half of Arsenal's proposal. However, given their original request was €70 million (£60.7 million, $82.1 million) guaranteed, this may explain why the Lisbon outfit remained firm about accessible bonus triggers.
The Guardian article disclosed that most discussions were handled through intermediaries, minimizing direct communication between both clubs.
This transfer will allow Gyökeres, now 27, to make his first appearance in one of Europe's premier divisions. He previously spent four seasons at Brighton & Hove Albion, though he only featured for the Seagulls occasionally in domestic cup matches.
After progressing through Sweden's lower divisions and subsequently playing in the Championship and 2. Bundesliga, Gyökeres experienced elite-level football for the first time when he joined Portugal just two seasons ago.