Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon for a £63.5m total fee at the weekend. Not a bad price, all things considered.
He’s one of the most prolific centre-forwards across Europe, after all.
Gyokeres, 27, is the positional solution to Mikel Arteta’s most pressing positional problem. Several windows have come and gone without the Gunners signing a centre-forward that they all saw they needed.
The Sweden star scored 97 goals across two seasons for Sporting, winning the Liga Portugal both years.
However, Arsenal may yet need another signing to complete their frontline. Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City have all made improvements this summer, and Arteta has hit sights set on lifting the Premier League title next May.
Could that man be Real Madrid’s Rodrygo?
Arsenal's interest in Rodrygo
There’s no question Rodrygo is a terrific footballer, hailed by his former teammate Luka Modric for his “world-class” quality on the ball.
The 24-year-old’s desire to feature more regularly on the left wing aligns with Arteta’s Arsenal vision for the remainder of the transfer window.
As a senior professional, Real Madrid is all that he has known, having joined the Spanish giants from Santos in his homeland when he turned 18.
The Londoners have been keeping checks on the Brazilian this summer, with reports from earlier in July even claiming that Arsenal lead the race.
The problem, naturally, is that other suitors are lining up for the Brazilian forward, who Real Madrid would only consider selling for a fixed €90m (£78m) fee.
That’s an awful lot of money, and technical director Andrea Berta might be inclined to direct his club’s transfer cannon in a different direction.
Arsenal could sign Rodrygo alternative
Given that Rodrygo went 17 matches without a goal or an assist across the second half of last year’s La Liga campaign, Arsenal might be wary about forking out such a heavy sum to bring him over.
Instead, technical director Andrea Berta might be inclined to act on Arsenal’s interest in AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, who has been linked with a move to the Emirates this summer. In May, it was revealed that the club were engaged in talks with the Serie A giants for their Portuguese winger.
As with Rodrygo, Leao would cost a pretty penny, though perhaps he’d be the cheaper man, with Manchester United previously pushing to seal a £60m package this summer.
Regardless, there’s an elite player in there. Analyst Ben Mattinson has even gone as far as to say that he’s “one of the best left wingers in the world” while Milan coach Stefano Pioli once said that “Leao reminds me a lot of the early Thierry Henry.”
Over the past two terms, the 26-year-old Leao has scored 27 goals and has supplied 27 assists across all competitions for Milan, making an interesting comment on his prolific capacity.
Just imagine how high he could reach in Arteta’s Arsenal team, playing alongside a higher calibre of goalscoring teammate in Gyokeres, and with Bukayo Saka matching him out on the right too. Writer Theo Mwangi has actually claimed that the high-speed winger is a “superstar”.
Rodrygo might have been earmarked as an exciting option to complete the set, but there’s little question that Leao is on a similar level, and given that he would arrive for a cheaper fee, it feels right that Arsenal should push for the latter man.
Goals
0.32
0.35
Assists
0.26
0.22
Shots taken
2.37
2.54
Shot-creating actions
4.13
4.56
Touches (att pen)
6.15
5.84
Progressive passes
3.58
4.69
Progressive carries
4.74
5.07
Successful take-ons
2.83
2.15
They match up rather well. The Milan winger might not be the most prolific on the block, but he’s in the same ballpark as Rodrygo – and that’s hardly an indicator of poor form.
Leao is actually a bit more of an effective dribbler, successfully taking on more opponents per 90 than the Los Blancos star. He also ranks among the top 19% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for his success rate (49%) in such duels.
Such a balanced and well-rounded physical force, Leao could be the missing piece in an Arsenal puzzle which just needs that extra injection of quality to cross the boundary that has lingered between them and glory over the past three campaigns.
Moreover, Leao has come off the back of a difficult campaign, with AC Milan struggling for form and finishing eighth. Even so, he held his own, notching eight goals and eight assists apiece in the league and averaging 4.5 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.
Leao has also been regarded by Napoli sensation Scott McTominay to have been the most impressive opponent he has faced since swapping Old Trafford for Naples.
Capable of outrageous tricks, flicks and moments in key areas, Leao would both raise the fun factor at the Emirates next season while improving Arteta’s squad’s output concurrently.
With both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard mooted for an exit from north London this summer, this may well be a signing that becomes a necessity for the Gunners, especially if a move for Rodrygo comes to nothing, and he signs for a rival or indeed stays put in Madrid.
Arsenal have some tough choices to make over the coming weeks, but having enjoyed such an impressive transfer window so far, it would hardly be a bad thing to forge ahead and make a play for Leao.
Saka will love him: Arsenal reach agreement in principle to sign £68m star
Arsenal are ready to supply Viktor Gyokeres with an exciting new wideman.
ByAngus Sinclair Jul 29, 2025