Arsenal must sell two players to give Viktor Gyokeres dream shirt number after completing transfer

Viktor Gyokeres continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal, despite the Gunners being unlikely to splash out big money in the January transfer window.

The Swedish striker is likely to cost around £86million, although it is understood that his release clause may be lowered in the summer transfer window. That will bring its own challenges, with more clubs likely to be interested in signing him for a cheaper price.

Arsenal were one of the teams most heavily linked with a move for him this summer, but balked at the asking price then. football.london also understood it to be the case that they were after a player who could play across the frontline, rather than an out-and-out striker too.

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Arsenal have struggled a little for goals this season and are stuttering behind Liverpool and Manchester City in the Premier League title race so far after 11 games.

Rectifying that with a proven goalscorer - Gyokeres has 23 goals and four assists in 18 appearances for Sporting CP this season already - would be an ideal scenario.

But if the Gunners are to sign the 26-year-old, they will have to sell a couple of players in order to give the frontman his dream shirt number.

Gyokeres currently wears No.9 for the Portuguese giants and has done in both the seasons he has played for the club. It was the number he had for one season with Brighton & Hove Albion's U23s and the number he wore in his one season with St Pauli on loan.

Gabriel Jesus currently wears that number for Arsenal, but there are suggestions he could leave the club, having struggled to make an impact so far this season.

Another number Gyokeres has worn on more than one occasion is No.17. He wore it in his final two seasons with Coventry City before making the move to Sporting. That number is worn by Oleksandr Zinchenko at the Emirates Stadium and the Ukrainian is another who has been linked with a move away from north London.