Gabriel Magalhaes breaks silence on Viktor Gyokeres with Arsenal transfer looming

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Arsenal are very close to signing Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.

TBR Football understand Arsenal are not concerned about reports in Portugal, which claimed that Manchester United are trying to hijack the deal, and still fully expect to sign the Sweden international.

Now, Gabriel Magalhaes has shared his thoughts on Viktor Gyokeres, as the Swede gets closer to becoming a teammate of the Brazilian at Arsenal.

Gabriel Magalhaes hails Viktor Gyokeres

The Arsenal No.6 has now told The Athletic: “For sure, when we played against him, it was a big challenge for us.

“What we know now is that he’s a great player, who definitely had a great season last year.”

Gyokeres remarkably netted 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting CP last season, having also incredibly scored 43 times in 50 games in the 2023/24 campaign, along with 15 assists.

Of course, as Darwin Nunez has proved by struggling at Liverpool despite success in Benfica, Portuguese football is a different beast to the Premier League, and it can often be difficult to replicate this form in English football.

Having said that, nobody can deny Gyokeres knows where the net is, especially Pep Guardiola after the 27-year-old bagged a hat-trick against his Manchester City side last season.

How Viktor Gyokeres performed up against Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba in Sporting CP 1-5 Arsenal

Gabriel – who praised another Arsenal target in Rodrygo – is referring to the UEFA Champions League meeting between the pair in Lisbon back in November, where the Gunners ran riot and nullified Gyokeres impressively.

The Sporting CP No.9 was limited to just two shots on target as Gabriel recorded two tackles, two interceptions and one block on the night, even managing to get on the scoresheet himself with a trademark header from a corner.

Nevertheless, Gyokeres still managed to hit the woodwork, won three duels and made three key passes, so playing against him daily in training at London Colney should do wonders for the defenders at Arsenal.