Four clubs circling Arsenal striker after goalless start

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Viktor Gyokeres has not scored in five appearances for Arsenal this season, and that slow start has reportedly caught the attention of clubs across Europe and Saudi Arabia.

The Sweden international arrived from Sporting CP just over a year ago in a deal worth £64m, but he has found himself behind Kai Havertz in the pecking order for the centre-forward role under Mikel Arteta.

According to a report from Caught Offside, Juventus, AC Milan, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad are all interested in signing the 28-year-old, either on loan or on a permanent basis.

Who wants him and why

Juventus are said to be short of an elite No.9 after losing Jonathan David to Atletico Madrid this summer, while a move to AC Milan would see Gyokeres link up with Ruben Amorim — the coach who oversaw his prolific spell in Lisbon.

In Saudi Arabia, Al Ahli would pair him with Ivan Toney, while Al Ittihad are still looking for a long-term replacement for Karim Benzema.

It should be noted that Caught Offside is not a tier-one outlet, and the report stops well short of suggesting anything is advanced. There has been no indication from Arsenal that they are willing to sanction a sale in January or next summer, and nothing to suggest Gyokeres himself is agitating for a move.

Minutes should come

As things stand, Gyokeres remains an Arsenal player at least until the January window opens, and the schedule is likely to work in his favour. The Gunners are competing on four fronts this season, which means rotation through the centre-forward position is close to inevitable across the autumn and winter months.

Havertz's form has kept the Swede out of the starting XI, but a run of fixtures in the domestic cups and Europe will offer chances to rebuild rhythm and confidence — the kind of platform that turned him into one of the continent's most feared finishers at Sporting.

Before that, he links up with Sweden for the international window. Graham Potter's side face Romania twice, with Nations League meetings against Poland and Bosnia & Herzegovina in between, giving Gyokeres four matches to get back on the scoresheet away from the Premier League spotlight.

Strikers of his profile have historically taken time to adapt to English football, and Arsenal's investment last summer was made with a multi-season view rather than an instant return. Whether the interest from Italy and Saudi Arabia hardens into concrete approaches in January will likely depend on how much game time comes his way between now and then.

For now, the situation is one to monitor rather than one to panic about, with the next set of fixtures set to tell us far more about where Gyokeres sits in Arteta's plans.