Arsenal discuss January swap deal to sign England striker as advanced talks with Arteta underway | OneFootball

According to reports, Viktor Gyokeres could leave Arsenal as part of a January swap deal, while Mikel Arteta is set to sign a new contract.

Gyokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon last summer for around £64m.

The striker was signed to fix Arsenal‘s striker department, but he had a mixed debut season and is currently behind Kai Havertz in the pecking order.

Havertz has made a sensational start to this season, and the selfless forward provides a great foil for Arsenal’s other attackers.

Gyokeres’ brief cameo off the bench during Sunday’s 2-1 win against Chelsea was his first appearance of the new season, and he was linked with an exit in the summer.

This was partly because Arsenal were keen on a move for Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez, though this did not materialise because the ex-Man City star had his heart set on joining FC Barcelona.

But with Arteta favouring Havertz, it remains to be seen whether Gyokeres will opt to favour an exit in January or next summer.

Now, transfer insider Indykaila claims Arsenal have opened talks over letting Gyokeres move to the Saudi Pro League in January, with England international potentially coming in the other direction.

They have also stated that Arteta is an ‘advanced talks’ over a new Arsenal contract after our colleagues at TEAMtalk reported that an agreement is expected to be reached this month.

Arsenal to swap Viktor Gyokeres with Ivan Toney?

They claimed: ‘Exclusive: Arsenal are in advanced talks over a new contract for Mikel Arteta.

‘Separately, 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.’

Regarding Gyokeres, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has explained why he has little hope of moving ahead Havertz in the Arsenal pecking order.

“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,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.

“It has to be an Ian Wright, guaranteed 30 goals a season, a Thierry Henry. Gyokeres is never taking Havertz’s place, not ever. Morgan Rogers I’m not sure [would have], as well.

“It’s not about how good they are just in attack, it’s what they give you for the team. One of the reasons why you can’t break Arsenal down as a team is how well they press from the front.

“But then when the opposition get through that, they all get behind the ball, and Havertz is about 25, 30 yards from his goal.

“You go and ask a world-class striker to do that, a guy who’s obsessed with his numbers and his goals to come back and do that, he won’t do that.”