Arsenal Transfer News Today: Gyokeres COMPETITION, Calafiori COMPLICATION, Nelson AGREES move

Cameron Smith

• 18 Jul 2024 12:15 BST
• 4 min read

FootballTransfers runs through the latest Arsenal football transfer news updates, including the latest on Viktor Gyokeres, Riccardo Calafiori and Reiss Nelson.

Tottenham want Viktor Gyokeres

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing long-time Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres, according to GiveMeSport.

Richarlison’s future in north London is reportedly uncertain and Spurs are looking to sign Sporting CP forward Gyokeres as his replacement.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024 - All the Done Deals

The Sweden international has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in recent months, but Tottenham are eager to beat their rivals to his signature if they are able to negotiate a cut-price deal.

Riccardo Calafiori complication

Arsenal are determined to use Jakub Kiwior as a makeweight to sign Riccardo Calafiori, but the Poland international is “reluctant” to join Bologna.

Calafiori, 22, has agreed personal terms with the Gunners and is reportedly desperate to join the club, but Arsenal are yet to match Bologna’s asking price of €50 million.

READ MORE: Arsenal Transfer News LIVE

The Serie A side will need to send 50% of the profit they earn on Calafiori to Basel, due to a sell-on clause included in his move from Switzerland back to Italy, and this has complicated matters.

In addition, Arsenal are hoping to lower the fee they pay for Calafiori by including Kiwior in the deal. The 24-year-old, however, is only interested in joining one of Italy’s biggest clubs, such as AC Milan, according to The Times.

As a result, Calafiori has been stuck in limbo and Arsenal must convince Kiwior to join Bologna or simply match the Serie A side’s asking price.

Nicolas Pepe considered retirement at Arsenal

Nicolas Pepe has admitted he nearly quit playing football following his record-breaking move to Arsenal in 2019.

The Ivory Coast winger joined the Gunners for €80m, however he was soon usurped by an emerging Bukayo Saka and he left the club with x goals in x games in x.

During an interview with L’Equipe, Pepe admitted that he considered retirement. “I didn’t ask for €80m to be put on me,” he said.

“At that amount, people don’t care where you come from, they want you to perform straight away. It’s all about statistics, it’s a shame but it’s current events. I wasn’t going to roll over the Premier League like that. But that’s what earned me this wave of criticism.

“I don’t look at social media much, but if my brother told me, ‘this is what they said about you’, it would affect me unconsciously. It also came from the media or from certain members of the club.

“They don’t realise that it can affect the mental state, the family and it affects performances. The only people who have always supported me are the Arsenal fans,” he continued.

“At Arsenal, I had suffered a kind of trauma, as if my passion had been taken away from me, I had a disgust for football.

“By not playing anymore, I wondered why I was doing this job. I doubted myself to the point that I thought about quitting everything.”

Reiss Nelson agrees move

Reiss Nelson has agreed to join West Ham United this summer, according to TEAMtalk.

The Arsenal man was on the fringes last season and he is open to leaving the club in order for regular game time.

Crystal Palace are also interested in Nelson, although West Ham appear to have stolen a march in the race to sign him.