Viktor Gyokeres Slapped with Massive Fine After Arsenal Transfer Tantrum

Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyökeres had his complete July wages withheld due to his behavior during transfer talks with Arsenal, according to a new report.

Gyökeres openly expressed his desire to move to Arsenal and ultimately went on strike, boycotting pre-season training in a bid to pressure Sporting into honoring what he claimed was an informal agreement - something club president Frederico Varandas publicly denied existed.

The two sides have now finalized a deal valued at €63.5million (£55.5 million, $74.6 million) initially, with an additional €10 million (£8.7 million, $11.7 million) in add-ons, though not before Gyökeres faced substantial penalties for his training boycott.

Per Record, Gyökeres was absent for 13 days during his protest, but a social media image showing him vacationing in Mallorca while he should have been training infuriated Varandas, prompting the Sporting chief to impose a full month's wage deduction as penalty.

Eager to resolve the situation, Gyökeres accepted Varandas's terms and agreed to the €350,000 (£306,000, $410,000) penalty.

Luckily for Gyökeres, the financial impact may be lessened as he was allowed to claim performance bonuses from the previous campaign. Beyond compensation for Sporting's Liga Portugal championship triumph, Gyökeres also earned €500,000 ($587,000) for achieving over 50 combined goals and assists.

The talented striker is now finalizing his Arsenal transfer, which will see him receive the club's iconic No.14 jersey, previously worn by legend Thierry Henry, along with wages that should help offset his recent fine relatively quickly.

Arsenal are currently in Singapore for their pre-season campaign but expect to integrate Gyökeres into the squad soon, though his month-long training absence may postpone his debut for his new team.