Despite agreeing a £550,000 fixed fee for the Sporting Lisbon striker a week ago, Arsenal are yet to finalise the deal for Viktor Gyokeres; Mikel Arteta has since taken his team on a pre-season tour to Singapore and Hong Kong; Arsenal will kick off their Premier League season on August 17.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes his side need to add depth and quality to the squad as they continue negotiations with Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres.
Mikel Arteta says he cannot comment on Arsenal's pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres... yet.
It has been over a week since Arsenal agreed a £550,000 fixed fee for the Sporting Lisbon striker after a breakthrough in talks with the Portuguese club.
However, negotiations over add-ons as part of the deal are still ongoing, with Sporting Lisbon holding out for a £100,000 (€100,000) sale. Further talks took place last week over the conditions attached to these bonus payments.
Arsenal have since embarked on a pre-season tour to Singapore and Hong Kong, and Arteta was asked if Gyokeres would be a Gunner before the start of the new season.
"I can't comment on any player that is not part of our group yet," Arteta said. "Whenever we have something concrete to announce about any player, we will do so."
Arsenal have so far completed deals for Kepa, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Noni Madueke this summer – a busy start to their first transfer window under new sporting director Andrea Berta.
Gyokeres is not Arsenal's only unfinished deal, with an initial £130,000 move for Valencia defender Christian Mosquera close to completion.
"I'm very happy, that's all I'm going to say," Arteta said of Arsenal's business so far.
"There are many parties and factors to consider to get a player over the line and here. I'm very hopeful we'll do that soon."
Asked if he expected new players to join Arsenal's Asia tour, Arteta replied: "There's still a long way to go in the transfer window. We're still looking, we're short on numbers, and we need to improve the depth and quality of the squad."
"We're always monitoring the market. Until then, we'll focus on our current players and their performances, and I'm very satisfied with what I've seen in the last 10 to 15 days."
Arteta: Zubimendi turned down very good moves
Arteta also spoke about the Gunners' signing of Martin Zubimendi – the Arsenal boss revealed that the Spanish midfielder turned down "some very good opportunities" to move to north London.
Zubimendi came close to joining Liverpool last summer but opted to stay at Real Sociedad for another year.
Arsenal then made a late move for the Spaniard, with Arteta playing a role in convincing the midfielder to choose the Gunners.
"It was a long and drawn-out process," Arteta said of pursuing Zubimendi.
"He had many chances to decide whether to come, and the good news is that this club is so great that everyone wants to be here. He turned down some very good opportunities to join us, and he's been impressive."
"I think we've all been impressed by what we've seen in the last 7 to 10 days, because when you see the player every day, you notice his character, his personality, his intelligence, and how much he'll add to the team – it's very exciting."
