Arsenal Land Viktor Gyokeres in Major Coup, Star Striker Ready for Pre-Season Action
Arsenal confirmed the acquisition of forward Viktor Gyökeres on Saturday evening as their headline signing of the current transfer period.
The North London club secured an agreement worth €63.5million (£54.8 million, $74.2 million) plus an additional €10 million (£8.6 million, $11.7 million) with Portuguese title holders Sporting CP to bring in the Swedish forward after a lengthy and highly publicized transfer pursuit.
Gyökeres will don the No. 14 jersey and will head to Asia to meet up with his new teammates during pre-season preparations.
Gyökeres netted 39 times in Liga Portugal during the previous campaign for Sporting, helping secure the championship. The Swedish international attracted global attention through his impressive scoring record, highlighted by his treble against Manchester City in the Champions League group stage.
"We are thrilled with the outstanding agreement we have finalized to bring Viktor Gyökeres to Arsenal. Viktor represents exceptional quality and has repeatedly shown he possesses the attributes and championship mindset needed for an elite striker. His strength, awareness and dedication make him an ideal match for our philosophy," sporting director Andrea Berta stated in the official announcement.
"We're extremely excited to welcome Viktor Gyökeres to Arsenal. The reliability he has displayed in his displays and fitness record have been remarkable, and his scoring statistics are self-evident," Mikel Arteta commented.
"Viktor possesses numerous strengths. He offers pace and power in attack, with remarkable goalscoring figures at both club and national team level. He provides a ruthless finishing ability with an impressive conversion rate of opportunities into goals, while his smart positioning in the penalty area makes him a perpetual danger."
Gyökeres represents the second Arsenal acquisition to be revealed within three days following the club's confirmation of Cristhian Mosquera's arrival from Valencia. Both additions join the roster alongside Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Nørgaard as summer reinforcements.
Gyökeres's first appearance could occur on July 31 versus Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season match.