VIKTOR GYOKERES’ distraught dad was reportedly ‘reduced to tears’ after hearing that the striker’s move to Arsenal might COLLAPSE at the final hurdle.
The ongoing saga over Gyokeres’ future is taking its toll on the Sporting ace and his family, with negotiations stalling after initially agreeing on a fee.
Arsenal and Sporting are apparently battling over bonus payments and the schedule of instalments, with Sporting pushing for more up-front cash.
It emerged last Sunday that the clubs have verbally agreed a five-year-deal in principle worth an initial £55million plus £8.6m in add-ons and bonuses.
But the two sides have hit a deadlock in discussions over the structure of said add-ons.
With talks dragging on, Arsenal have been unable to sign Gyokeres in time for their pre-season tour of Asia, kicking off on Wednesday against AC Milan.
And the delay is reportedly effecting the Gyokeres family, who are worried that his dream move might he slipping away.
A new report from Portuguese outlet Abola has detailed how the player’s dad Stefan burst into tears over Sporting’s handling of the situation.
Sporting are showing no signs of softening their stance over their demands, with Arsenal’s latest bid remaining unanswered for the last SIX DAYS.
Gyokeres is close with his family, with his uncle revealing during Sporting’s title celebrations in May, that several people close to the Sweden striker wanted him to stay in Portugal at the time.
But that seems miles away from where Gyokeres stands now.
The 27-year-old couldn’t make it any clearer that he doesn’t want to return to Sporting, with new footage of a removal van outside his Lisbon home quickly going viral a few days ago.
Sporting president Frederico Varandas said Gyokeres could face disciplinary action after he refused to return to pre-season training and missed out on travelling to the Algarve for their camp.
Varandas has been outspoken on negotiations and continues to insist the former Coventry striker will not be allowed to leave unless the club’s demands are met.
But Arsenal’s failure to agree terms for their most desperate position on the pitch could come back to bite them.
It comes after Manchester United reportedly made a last-gasp move to hijack the deal this weekend.
Record report that United are prepared to offer a higher bid than Mikel Arteta’s side, worth between £60million to £69million.
The newspaper notes that Gyokeres – who played under Ruben Amorim at Sporting – still only wants to join Arsenal, but it is still a curveball.
If the club get a deal for Gyokeres over the line, the striker would likely have to wait until August 6 when the Gunners host Villarreal in their first pre-season game back from Asia.
After that, Arteta’s side conclude their summer preparations against Athletic Club, before ironically kicking off the Premier League season away at Old Trafford.
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