We’re going to have to admit The Daily Viktor Gyökeres is becoming a little repetitive.
To underline that, perhaps the most exciting thing to have happened over the past couple of days is a removal van turning up outside the striker’s Lisbon home.
The transfer to Arsenal remains stuck on bonuses. To reiterate, Arsenal have agreed to pay €63.5m plus €10m in bonuses. The €63.5m figure is reportedly due to Gyökeres’ agent giving up his commission to take it down from €70m but whether he has a separate agreement with Arsenal is unknown.
We’re all still at the stage of €2.5m of the €10m holding it up: Sporting want €2.5m for the striker’s first 20 appearances, €2.5m for the next 20, €2.5m should Arsenal qualify for the Champions League, and €2.5m for another 20 appearances the following season. That would fit in with Federico Varandas’ aims of it all being achievable and €7.5m being possible in the first season. Arsenal want €2.5m of the total to be more difficult to achieve.
Saturday’s edition of Record reports no agreement was reached on Friday, or at least by the time they went to press. They have no further update online, and Gyökeres won’t be able to travel with Arsenal for the beginning of their Asia tour.
O Jogo also report that nothing has changed.
A Bola have a little more, but it’s largely just pointing out there’s been no advance for days, and even when the bonuses are agreed there’s other issues on top of that.
The Portuguese newspaper explains: ‘The English side haven’t shown any signs of life.
‘With the deal at an impasse, it is hoped that Arsenal will be able to contact the Lions again. Besides the bonus issue, there are other matters to be resolved, namely the payment deadline and the solidarity mechanism, commonly known as the training rights that must be paid to the clubs where the player played as a youngster.
‘In this aspect, the mechanism is usually assumed by the club that receives the transfer fee, but in this case, Sporting intend to split that responsibility 50/50. Arsenal intends to extend the payment deadline by four times; the Lions want it faster, in two lots.’
