Arsenal closes to reach a deal for Portugal sports forward

Arsenal agreed to pay about £55m to sign Portugal sports forward Victor Yocres; negotiations on add-ons continue; the 27-year-old Swedish international has been Arsenal's main focus in the transfer window after he had been linked with RB Leipzig's Benjamin Cesco

Arsenal is about to reach a comprehensive deal for the signing of Victor Yocres from Portugal Sports. The Premier League club is expected to pay a fixed fee of £55m (€63.5M), while the surcharge is still being finalized, up to £8.6M (€10m).

It is understood that negotiations were broken when Gyokeres' broker agreed to exempt him from his due trading commission. This lowered Arsenal's asking price for guaranteed funds, and Portugal Sports didn't get less than they wanted. The introduction of a striker has been a major focus for Arsenal in this transfer window, and they have explored the conditions for some players, including Benjamin Sesco of RB Leipzig.

Sky Sports News reported in June that Yorkress was Manchester United's target after they had initial contact with him through the middleman.

Last month, Portugal Sports President Fredrico Valandas revealed that Yorke will not be allowed to leave at a price of £59m (€70m), which will allow him to leave at a fixed fee of £50.8m (€60m), plus an additional fee of £8.4m (€10m) after disputes over the "gentleman agreement" with the Swedes' agent.

After joining Portugal Sports from Coventry City in 2023 for around £20, Yorke scored an incredible 97 goals in just 102 matches. Last season, Yorke scored 54 goals in just 52 games in various competitions, including a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League, helping Portugal win the league and the Portuguese Cup.

After transfer to Arsenal, Yorkress will return to England football, he joined Brighton & Hof Albion in January 2018, and then transferred to Coventry after a period of loan at St. Pauli and Swansea City. Yorkress scored 43 goals for Coventry in two and a half seasons of playing for Coventry.

How Yorke's value soared

Nick Wright of Sky Sports: Portugal Sports is expected to make huge profits from Yorke's expected sale. The 27-year-old, who originally joined Coventry on loan from Brighton before officially transferring in 2021, has reached new heights since his transfer to Portugal, scoring 97 goals in 102 appearances for Portugal, including 11 in 17 European matches.

According to the Transfermarkt website, his extraordinary goal achievements almost tripled his value to £64.8m in two years, which valued him less than £1m when he joined Coventry from Brighton in the summer of 2021. He turned out to be a late-achieving guy, but his rapid rise in recent seasons has put him on the shortlist for some of Europe's largest clubs.

Yorke spent a busy summer at Arsenal

The development around Yorke was introduced during Arsenal's busy summer. They announced a £51m deal to sign midfielder Martin Subimandi from Real Sociedad. Another midfielder Christian Norgaard joined from Brentford for £15. Espanyol Kepa signed from Chelsea for £5m, while Arsenal approached signing another player from their London rival after agreeing to a deal of £52m Noni Maduaike.