Arsenal have finally reached an agreement with Sporting for the transfer of Viktor Gyökeres in a deal worth up to €73.5 million, having resolved the contentious issue of the €10 million in add-ons to bring an end to a tortuous saga and Mikel Arteta’s search for a No. 9.
The London club, which is set to seal the signing of Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera for an initial €15 million, made the official announcement late on Tuesday, sending a revised offer to their Portuguese counterparts to satisfy them over the arrangement of the bonuses.
Sporting wanted the add-ons to be doable, depending on Gyökeres’ appearances, goals, and assists, as well as Champions League qualification, whilst Arsenal requested more challenging ones. Reported By Irishexaminer.
As negotiations stretched on until the end of last week, Sporting believed €5 million of Arsenal’s proposed bonuses were doable, while €5 million was not. One provision that was proposed concerned Gyökeres winning the Ballon d’Or with Arsenal.
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The agencies have handled the majority of the talks, with little direct communication between clubs. Sporting is confident that the bonuses are achievable, allowing them to reflect on successfully holding out for what they desired.
Sporting had demanded €70 million plus €10 million in add-ons; a €80 million package was the goal, however it fell short of the €100 million release clause in Gyökeres’ contract. They arrived to a base fee of €63.5 million, with the agents agreeing to renounce their 10% cut, saving Sporting €6.35 million.
The attitudes on both sides had long been entrenched, with Gyökeres keen to force the deal to Arsenal, ignoring other offers, and Sporting digging in deep for their money.
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