Arsenal kept striker Viktor Gyokeres at the club in January, but it's been revealed there have been multiple avenues for him to leave the club.
Gyokeres has sat on the bench for all but 15 minutes in the Premier League this season, when he made a brief appearance in the victory over Chelsea. Kai Havertz has been preferred as the striker and has two league goals to show for it.
Last season's £64million signing looks surplus to requirements, and after reports in the summer that Arsenal attempted to swap him for Julian Alvarez, insider Ben Jacobs has reiterated those claims.
He told GIVEMESPORT: "It's not thought that in January he'll [Alvarez] necessarily change his perspective on wanting to go to Arsenal over waiting it out and hoping he gets his Barcelona move.
Jacobs also suggested Arsenal are likely to bide their time for a new attacking transfer, and the only way they'll go back for Alvarez in the summer is the striker proactively asking for the transfer.
"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.
"Gyokeres was not entirely unsellable and was touted to the Saudi market as well."
Another Viktor Gyokeres swap opportunity tabled
Alongside Jacobs' suggestion that Gyokeres was offered to Saudi Arabia, Indy Kaila has reported there's a potential swap transfer on offer there.
They said: 'Arsenal officials have discussed a potential January swap deal with Al-Ahli that would see Viktor Gyökeres move to Saudi Arabia in exchange for Ivan Toney.'
Toney has not played in England since 2024, when he left Brentford for Al-Ahli, but he was included in Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad.
There's a sense that Gyokeres isn't going to win his place back at Arsenal, but it remains to be seen whether Toney would be able to force his way into the Gunners' side.
Jamie Carragher said after Gyokeres' cameo against Chelsea - a game in which Havertz scored the opener - “To displace Kai Havertz out this team, you’re talking about one of the best players in the world, that’s what you have to get.
“It has to be an Ian Wright, guaranteed 30 goals a season, a Thierry Henry. Gyokeres is never taking Havertz’s place, not ever."
