Viktor Gyokeres is a name who has been linked with Arsenal a lot over the last few months. The striker has sparked the interest in several clubs due to his goalscoring exploits for Sporting CP, with Arsenal one of those said to be interested.

The Swedish international scored his 21st, 22nd, and 23rd goals of the season in the eye opening 4-1 win over Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Sporting manager Ruben Amorim’s imminent move to Manchester United have, unsurprisingly, prompted links with Gyokeres moving to Old Trafford in January.

However, latest reports from the Sun suggest that Arsenal, along with Chelsea, are ready to battle their Premier League rivals for the striker. It is said that United are willing to pay the £63 million asking price, but the player would prefer a move to a Champions League club.

That could therefore put Arsenal in the driving seat, with United and Chelsea not playing in the top European competition this season. Mikel Arteta is also said to have been scouting the striker for the last 12 months.

One thing that could come into the thoughts of each club are the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability rules (PSRs). The rules limit clubs to a loss of £105 million over a three-year rolling period, it therefore works out of an average loss of £35 million per year.

The regulations have seen clubs, including Arsenal, either have to cut back on their spending in transfer windows or find ways to bring in more money. One of those ways has been to sell academy graduates, which counts as pure profit on the accounts.

This summer, Arsenal sold Emile Smith-Rowe to Fulham for a £34 million fee. Striker Eddie Nketiah was also sold to Crystal Palace for £30 million.

Those sales allowed Arsenal to spend around £100 million on new recruits in the summer. The club brought in Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, and David Raya on permanent deals, while Raheem Sterling and Neto joined on loan.

The financial restrictions are expected to impact the upcoming January window too, with clubs being careful not to go over the limit of losses. It could therefore potentially affect the chase for Gyokeres.

Clubs wishing to sign the striker in January, including Arsenal, may have to first sell to be able to pay Sporting’s asking price and still be in the limit of PSR. Both Manchester United and Chelsea spent heavily in the summer window, meaning that they will also have to be careful.

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