Arsenal Near Gyokeres Deal But Face Squad Rule Crisis

Viktor Gyokeres will become Arsenal's fifteenth non-homegrown player as the Gunners need to consider some sales (Image: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

Arsenal are closing in on an agreement to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP as discussions between the clubs continue. The Gunners are hoping to find common ground with the club’s president, Frederico Varandas on a price.

Should the club be successful, Gyokeres would become the third summer signing after both Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi , but the club would be far from done. A deal for Christian Norgaard is expected to be completed while the club remain in contact with Valencia as they try and agree a transfer for 21-year-old Cristhian Mosquera.

There is also further hope of moves for Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and potentially Rodrygo. The club remain very active in the market looking for opportunities.

So far, they have not sold any players this summer and this could see them come into friction with a Premier League rule and could even see some squad difficulty regarding signing players. Premier League rules stipulate teams are allowed a maximum of 17 non-homegrown players.

Squads are made up of a maximum of 25 players; therefore, you could theoretically have up to 17 non-homegrown players and eight homegrown players who are not considered under-21s. Rules state players who will count as under-21s for the 2025/26 season are those born on or after January 1, 2004 – meaning that, should Arsenal sign Mosquera, he would count as an under-21 player this season and not need to be registered, but would be a non-homegrown player for the 2026/27 campaign.

By Premier League rules, Arsenal currently have 14 non-homegrown players: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Riccardo Calafiori, Martin Odegaard, Fabio Vieira, Mikel Merino, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Martin Zubimendi, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, and Kai Havertz.

Gyokeres would become the 15th player. However, Arsenal would then only have two more slots, one of which being filled by the Danish Norgaard. Madueke does not count as a homegrown player having developed during his youth in the Netherlands with PSV and of course Rodrygo came through in Brazil and Spain.

Thankfully for the Gunners, several players, such as Vieira, Zinchenko, Lokonga, and potentially Trossard, are on the list who could leave. Even in the worst-case scenario, the club can choose who they register, so there are workarounds if necessary.