Arsenal open talks with striker Gooners believe is better than Isak: ‘The new Thierry Henry’

Arsenal’s most important decision of the summer transfer window will be which striker to bring in, with a number of high-class No.9s on their shortlist.

FootballTransfers has revealed that Mikel Arteta is prioritising a deal for Newcastle hitman Alexander Isak and RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko. But with so many clubs chasing centre-forwards this summer, the shortlist is not particularly short, and Arsenal have now poised to open talks with Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting CP.

Gyokeres is a player that has been followed by the Gunners for well over a year, with the Sweden international impressing with his scoring exploits in Lisbon. He has 40 goals and 10 assists in 41 appearances for his club across all competitions this season, making him one of the deadliest strikers in the world.

With an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €74.8 million but an agreement to leave Sporting for just €70m, Gyokeres would provide good value for money, too.

Now Arsenal are ready to open formal talks with the 26-year-old over a summer transfer, Correio da Manha reports. A meeting with agent Hasan Cetinkaya is in the diary.

Gooners excited about Viktor Gyokeres signing

While there is clearly a great deal of work to be done before a deal between Gyokeres and Arsenal is completed, some fans are getting excited about the prospect of snapping him up ahead of Newcastle hitman Isak.

The pair are international team-mates but Isak would cost considerably more, with Newcastle even putting a Premier League-record price on the head of the 25-year-old.

This has led some Arsenal fans to back a move for Gyokeres as being the smart one.

“Isak’s a solid 20-goal-per-season Premier League striker but with very few assists and not the best injury record,” one supporter pointed out on X.

“Gyokeres will either be a 12-goal-a-season striker or competing with Haaland. I prefer the gamble. If he can hit similar numbers in the Premier League, he’ll be the new Thierry Henry.”

Another added: “We may have a higher chance with him, honestly.”

While there is some division over whether Isak or Gyokeres would be the better option between Arsenal fans, there is little doubt that either would add a dose of quality to the frontline of Arteta’s side.