Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly was seen imitating Viktor Gyokeres’ trademark mask celebration on Tuesday after it emerged that he was nearing a move to the Gunners.
In a video originally posted to Instagram by Lewis-Skelly’s team-mate Josh Nichols, the former was captured copying Gyokeres’ celebration – which sees him mimic pulling a mask over his face.
Lewis-Skelly, 18, was also seen holding up his phone in reaction to Fabrizio Romano’s post after Arsenal and Sporting CP were revealed to be ‘on the verge of a total agreement’ by The Athletic in a transfer worth £64million.
Gyokeres is expected to sign a five-year contract at the Emirates Stadium and conclude the saga in the coming days after a breakthrough in negotiations surrounding the precise nature of the bonus-related add-ons, beyond the guaranteed fee of £55m.
The 27-year-old Sweden international has had his heart set on a move to North London despite strong interest from elsewhere.
He was rumoured to be reuniting with his former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, only for the Manchester United manager to have reportedly angered him.
According to Portuguese outlet Record, Gyokeres was upset with the manner in which Amorim jettisoned his Swedish compatriot Victor Lindelof.
The two players share the same agent in Turkish businessman Hasan Cetinkaya, with Lindelof said to have maintained a desire to remain at Old Trafford had he been offered a new deal by the club.
Cetinkaya was also allegedly angered by Amorim’s treatment of the centre-back given that he persuaded Gyokeres to work under the current United boss at Sporting.
Gyokeres chose the Portuguese side despite offers from eight Premier League clubs claimed to have been interested in him in the summer of 2023.
Competition for his signature came after an impressive two-year spell at Championship side Coventry City.
That saw Sporting break their transfer record as they spent £18million to sign him from the Sky Blues.
But he now looks to be on the move again after already refusing to train as he seeks a move away from the Portuguese capital following a remarkable scoring record of 68 goals in 66 league appearances across two campaigns.
Amorim’s side did appear to be contenders but a lack of Champions League football, uncertainty over the club’s financial situation and Gyokeres’ lack of conviction over the state of a team that finished 15th in the Premier League put them out of the race.
Despite those factors, United did not appear to be deterred, with Record claiming that United submitted previous bids to Sporting above those sent by Arsenal.
However, the Swede was claimed to have remained firm in his stance that he only wants to play for the Gunners next season following their interest in him.
Gyokeres has previously spoken of his desire to return to the English top flight, to atone for his fruitless loan spell he endured at Brighton.
He played just eight times, scoring only once, in three-and-half-years on Brighton’s books, which saw him loaned out to St. Pauli and Swansea City before he ended up at Coventry and then Sporting.
