‘100%’ – Arsenal reach major decision on Viktor Gyokeres January sale as journalist reveals Arteta’s masterplan

Mikel Arteta has made up his mind on a mid-season departure for Viktor Gyokeres after the Swede spent large parts of this season warming the Arsenal bench, and a well-informed journalist has revealed exactly when the Gunners boss plans to offload the struggling striker.

Gyokeres moved to Emirates Stadium in a big-money £67m (€76m, $92m) fee in the summer of 2025 and was expected to provide the answer to Arsenal’s long-standing search for a reliable frontman.

But despite scoring a solid 21 goals in 55 appearances across his debut season for the Gunners, the jury remains out over whether Gyokeres has the necessary skill set for a side that has aspirations of challenging for all the major honours regularly.

Speculation over the summer suggested Arteta was open to using Gyokeres as a pawn in their well-documented bid to bring in Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.

And while either move never came to fruition, the fact that Gyokeres has seen just 12 minutes of action in the Premier League so far this season, with Arteta preferring Kai Havertz as his frontline attacker, suggests the Swede could be on the chopping block come the winter window.

Earlier this week, our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher made it clear that Gyokeres will remain in north London for now amid persistent links to Alvarez and new links to England striker Ivan Toney.

Now backing up those claims, journalist Ben Jacobs, speaking on the Market Madness podcast, is adamant that Gyokeres will see out the season with the Gunners.

“Yes, at the moment [Gyokeres will stay at Arsenal for the full season], but with the Julian Alvarez situation, one structure tabled was that it was cash plus Gyokeres, and Atletico Madrid really liked Gyokeres, but as long as Julian Alvarez stayed at the club it wasn’t as urgent for them to bring in a player like Viktor Gyokeres, but it’s true to my understanding that Viktor Gyokeres was not entirely unsellable and was touted to the Saudi market as well.

“And this is where the manager always wants plausible deniability, because he’ll accept the project decision to sell a certain player, but if they stay, the manager tells you they’re 100% invested, and he wants to keep them, and that’s been the case.”

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Journalist names Viktor Gyokeres’ potential Arsenal exit date

While the former Sporting CP striker looks set to see out the season with the Gunners, there are no guarantees he will still be at the club 12 months from now, with Jacobs intimating that they could look to move him on in the summer of 2027.

“Mikel Arteta said Gyokeres would 100% stay, and that is my expectation for the season,” Jacobs continued.

“I’m not aware of anything behind the scenes trying to force him out of the club or any imminent winter exit, but it will be true over the course of the next few windows that if the right offer comes in that meets Arsenal’s valuation and is something Gyokeres wants, I don’t expect Arsenal to stand in his way, but I would be surprised if that is in a winter market when he still has value to the squad.

“In the summer of 2027, Gyokeres’ future may become more of a topic of conversation.”

What has also become evidently clear over this season is that Havertz’s ability to drop between the lines, occupy centre-backs and work across the front during rotations is not easily replicated. A conventional target man would disrupt the fluidity Arteta has spent years refining.

That is why Alvarez has been identified as the closest fit. The Argentine’s movement, pressing intensity and finishing would allow him to occupy the same spaces Havertz currently exploits. He’s also a more potent goalscorer than the German.

However, Alvarez’s heart remains set on a move to Barcelona. He made that position clear to Arsenal this summer, informing the club he would only consider leaving for a move to the Camp Nou.

Arsenal’s next pieces of business, though, will be to lock down three of their most important stars, with one of those extensions set to break Real Madrid’s transfer dreams.