Almeria striker Luis Suarez is closing in on a move to Sporting CP for close to a club-record fee, with reports hinting at a “domino effect” with Arsenal’s move for Viktor Gyokeres.
AS report that Almeria striker Luis Suarez is getting closer and close to a move to Sporting CP, with the player’s current club looking to bring in €25m for his transfer.
That would represent a club-record transfer fee for Sporting, though they aren’t quite there yet. The same report suggests Sporting are currently offering €18m plus €5m in bonuses for a total of €23m, slightly less than they paid for Viktor Gyokeres (€24m) and Manuel Ugarte (€24.5m).
So a fee isn’t agreed yet, but Suarez has practically finalised terms on a four-year contract, and Sporting are his favoured club for a summer transfer.
AS add that the “domino effect” will become a reality, with Arsenal simultaneously pushing for the signing of Gyokeres. Sporting finally agreeing a deal to sell the Swedish international would provide them with the funds and the incentive to close a deal for Suarez.
Fabrizio Romano reported this week that Arsenal held a new round of talks with Sporting on Monday over a potential transfer, with the player turning down new approaches from intermediaries over a move to Manchester United.
United sources insist they haven’t bid and don’t plan to, but intermediaries close to Sporting are clearly trying to drum up rival interest to spur Arsenal on to upping their bid.
Arsenal have an agreement in principle with Sporting for a €63.5m (£55m) transfer with €10m (£8.7m) in add-ons. Those add-ons are the problem at the moment, with the two clubs failing to agree on a compromise.
Sporting are pushing for the entire €10m to be easy to achieve, which would effectively make the guaranteed fee €73.5m (£63.6m), but Arsenal only want to pay the full amount if Gyokeres achieves certain more ambitious targets.