Viktor Gyokeres is not yet an Arsenal player despite the Gunners reaching a verbal agreement with Sporting CP for the striker.
football.london understands a deal worth an initial €63.5million (£55million), plus €10million (£8.7million) in add-ons, has been agreed between the two sides. The structure of the deal has been the obstacle in recent weeks but it was reported this week that talks are now at an extremely advanced stage.
Once the finishing touches are complete, the 27-year-old is expected to complete his medical and potentially then fly out to Asia to join up with his new teammates. Mikel Arteta and his squad flew to Singapore last Saturday and ran out 1-0 winners against AC Milan in their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
The Gunners are set to play Newcastle United on Sunday before they jet off to Hong Kong for one final pre-season friendly in the Far East. That game happens to be against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and will be the first ever North London Derby played abroad.
It is against Spurs on Wednesday, July 31 where supporters may see Gyokeres in an Arsenal shirt for the first time. Sunday's clash against Newcastle will probably come too soon but the fixture against Tottenham three days later seems more realistic.
Arteta had wanted Gyokeres signed ahead of the Asia pre-season tour so will want the Swede to join up with the group ASAP. Games against Villarreal and Athletic Club at Emirates Stadium will follow before the Premier League opener against Manchester United on August 17.
The fact Gyokeres could make his Arsenal debut against Tottenham is extremely interesting and would give the former Coventry and Brighton man the perfect opportunity to immediately win over fans. It would also give Gyokeres a small taste of what it is like facing a Premier League opponent ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 games last season so clearly knows where the net is, and the clinical finisher will want to get his Arsenal account up and running sooner rather than later. If all goes to plan, the pre-season friendly against Tottenham could be the perfect opportunity to do just that.