Arsenal given Artem Dovbyk green light as Mikel Arteta faces Viktor Gyokeres transfer call

Arsenal have been given a major boost to their hopes of signing Artem Dovbyk this summer. The 27-year-old striker continues to be heavily linked with an exit from Girona following an impressive campaign in the Spanish top flight.

Dovbyk, who sees his contract at Estadi Montilivi expire in June 2028, featured 36 times in La Liga last season, scoring 24 goals and providing eight assists. Playing a key role in Michel's side, he beat the likes of Jude Bellingham and Robert Lewandowski to the golden boot.

The Ukraine international also helped Girona finish third and achieve Champions League qualification. He's reportedly courted interest from some top clubs in Europe, including Arsenal, for his eye-catching performances.

As clubs begin to queue up to sign Dovbyk, the Catalan outfit have provided an update on the frontman's future. In an interview with 'Diario de Girona', as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Quique Cárcel confirmed that the Ukrainian has a €40m (£33.9m) release clause in his contract which leaves the club helpless.

"We don't have to buy to sell, we have to buy to consolidate the project," said the Girona sporting director. "I don't want to sell Dovbyk, but if they pay 40 million you can't do anything – he has to be sold. The most important thing is to take advantage of all this to consolidate Girona in the elite."

According to Mundo Deportivo, Atletico Madrid and Napoli are also interested in signing Dovbyk. The report states that Diego Simeone's side have recently lodged a €25m (£21.2m) bid, while Napoli have submitted a €35m (£29.7m) offer; both of which remain some way from Girona's asking price.

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While the Girona talisman is available for a reasonable fee, Mikel Arteta must now decide whether or not he'd rather Viktor Gyoekeres. The Sporting CP striker continues to be heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal look to bolster their frontline.

Gyokeres, who still has four years left on his contract at the José Alvalade Stadium, scored 29 goals in 33 games in the Primeira Liga last season. football.london understands that the Gunners were closely monitoring Gyokeres as he fired Ruben Amorim's side to glory.

In April, the Swede's agent provided an update on his client's future. Speaking to Portuguese newspaper Record, Hasan Cetinkaya said: "I would say that at this stage it's important to know about Sporting's future and what will happen with Ruben Amorim because we came here for him.

"We have to know what Sporting's plans are. But we also have to respect Sporting because we chose them. They need to present us with their ideas but I can say that right now, there are a lot of clubs that want to sign him.

"We have not made any decision at the moment, nor are we going to make a decision on this or about staying. We'll be focussed on what's left [of the season], there are eight games ahead and after that we'll make a decision on his future but it also depends a lot on what will happen with Ruben Amorim and his future."

Cetinkaya added: "Viktor is an unavoidable topic and has been for what he's been doing at Sporting. Everything he has been doing is not normal in football so that's why there is a lot of interest.

"There are a lot of people that want to speak to us and clubs that want to discuss the situation. He is a great player and it's normal for that to be the case."