Arsenal tipped to make complete U-turn on ‘world-class’ star after Viktor Gyokeres deal

Arsenal could abandon their chase for Rodrygo unless they sell one of their two top wingers, according to a Ben Jacobs, as the Spanish press brings the latest on the Gunners’ pursuit of the Real Madrid forward.

The future of Rodrygo has been a hot topic among Madrid fans in the summer transfer window, with Liverpool and Arsenal among the clubs strongly linked with the Brazil international forward. The 24-year-old was unhappy at not being a regular for Carlo Ancelotti in the starting line-up in LaLiga and also wanted to play on the left-hand side of the attack.

New Madrid manager Xabi Alonso did not use Rodrygo much at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with the Brazilian ace making only one start at the competition.

Liverpool are the club most strongly linked with Rodrygo because of Luis Diaz potentially leaving for Bayern Munich, although The Athletic journalist James Pearce has played down any ongoing talks.

There have been murmurs of Arsenal being ready to make a bid of €80million (£69.3m, $93.2m) for Rodrygo, who was described as a ‘world-class superstar’ by Madrid legend Luka Modric in Get Spanish Football News in September 2024.

Jacobs, though, has claimed that while Arsenal ‘love’ Rodrygo, the Gunners, who have agreed a deal with Sporting CP for Viktor Gyokeres and could complete the signing this weekend, do not see it as a deal that makes sense because of the total cost.

According to the reliable journalist, if Arsenal sell Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard, then they could move for Rodrygo.

Jacobs told Latte Firm: “I think Arsenal love Rodrygo, there’s no denying that, but for it to happen, Trossard or Martinelli must depart and the overall package would have to be deemed valuable.

“Andrea Berta proved with Viktor Gyokeres that he can drive prices down; the end deal was actually five million less, and that’s Andrea Berta all over – a bit of a maverick in the market.

“If he says he wants to leave, Real are open to sell for around €90m (£78m, $104.5m), but you’ve got the wage and the agent fees, so Arsenal don’t see a great deal of value in the deal.

“If they’re going to move, they will need to bring in an important fee for either Trossard or Martinelli and secondly, Berta would have to work his magic to try and drive the overall cost of the deal down.”

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How Rodrygo to Arsenal is being viewed in Spain

Jacobs is not the first source to claim that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta could abandon their chase for Rodrygo, with the Spanish media having already dismissed the Gunners’ chances of signing the Brazilian superstar in the summer transfer window.

On July 16, Cadena SER reported that Arsenal are unlikely to move for Rodrygo following the signings of Madueke and Gyokeres.

With Madrid adamant that they will not sell Rodrygo for anything less than €90m (£78m, $104.5m), Arsenal could walk away from a potential deal as things are getting ‘complicated’.

On July 22, AS, a Spanish publication that is close to the Madrid hierarchy, reported that Arsenal’s interest in Rodrygo has become ‘cold’, suggesting that they have moved on from the former Santos player.

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