Viktor Gyokeres private messages 'revealed' amid Arsenal transfer talks - 'Forget about it'

Viktor Gyokeres has reportedly sent private messages to Sporting Lisbon president Frederico Varandas, insisting that he wants to sign for Arsenal this summer.

Over the weekend, it emerged that Arsenalwere advancing in talks for Gyokeres after reaching an agreement with the player over his salary. The consensus among the player and the clubs is thata deal could be on the verge of being agreed.

According to journalist , the Swede has his heart set on a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer and is doing everything in his power to get the deal done. It is understood that Gyokeres messaged Varandas telling him to "forget about" the possibility of him returning for pre-season and playing for Sporting again.

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Instead, he implored Varandas to come to an agreement with the Gunners for his signature. It is also believed that Gyokeres has sacrificed £1.73m from his salary to help Arsenal reach closer to Sporting's transfer valuation.

Romano claimed that while the offer from Arsenal and the valuation from Sporting are close, there is still plenty that needs ironing out. The journalist claims that talks became tense on Sunday as the two parties seemed to be unwilling to compromise.

Arsenal were believed to be offering £56m plus add-ons while the Lisbon club were adamant to hold out for £60.5m plus add-ons. While this may seem like a small sum, Romano insists that it is vital for Sporting to get their asking price to show to the rest of the market that they are no pushovers.

Tensions are now thought to have been cooled between Arsenal and Sporting and talks restarted on Monday to try and get a deal done.

In an interview with Portuguese newspaper O Jogo at the end of last month, Varandas outlined his staunch approach to negotiations. The Sporting president said: "Firstly, Sporting is very calm about the Viktor Gyokeres case.

"Secondly, Sporting does not need to sell Viktor Gyokeres. Fortunately, Sporting has gone through the phase where it always had to sell its main asset. We do not have to do this, but we are still sensitive to the dreams of Viktor or any other player of ours.

"Sporting has a commitment, on my word, that after weeks of meetings, it will not ask for the value of the clause and will be reasonable in relation to the value requested for Viktor."