Arsenal must reportedly be prepared to participate in an auction for Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres in order to win the race for the in-demand forward.
Mikel Arteta's side were held to a frustrating 1-1 stalemate by Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, and they fell 13 points behind first-placed Liverpool following their win against West Ham United on Sunday.
The Gunners face the prospect of finishing second for a third consecutive season, and supporters will be keen to avoid falling short in the race for the title next term.
Many fans and pundits have argued that the team are close to getting across the finish line but need to sign a striker in order to finally win the league.
Sporting's Gyokeres has often been linked with a move to the Emirates, but Portuguese newspaper A Bola reports that the Primeira Liga club are hopeful of securing a fee as high as £86.5m in a summer auction.
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Who are Arsenal's competition?
Manchester United have long been credited with an interest in Gyokeres, especially as current boss Ruben Amorim coached the Swedish striker at Sporting.
However, Old Trafford may not prove to be as attractive a destination as the Emirates given the Red Devils' chances of qualifying for the Champions League rest of them winning the Europa League.
Arsenal managed to beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie in Europe's premier competition on Tuesday, and Gyokeres may be more inclined to join the Gunners considering the Londoners seem better positioned to challenge for major honours next season.
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Would Gyokeres take Arsenal to the title?
Though Arsenal are 13 points behind Liverpool, the gap to the Merseysiders would undoubtedly have been smaller had they not suffered so many injury issues to key forwards such as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.
Signing someone like Gyokeres would significantly strengthen the Gunners' depth in attack, but there is an argument that the team need more of a creative spark to secure the title in 2025-26.
Arsenal have only created 50.8 xG in the Premier League this term, which is only the seventh-best figure in the division and is 20 less than Liverpool have generated.
While Gyokeres would undoubtedly prove lethal in the box given he has scored 31 goals in the league this season, he would benefit more if the Gunners added to his supply line.
Lewis Nolan
