Why AC Milan may miss out on out-of-favour Arsenal forward

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Viktor Gyokeres is attracting interest from Serie A, but an Italian journalist believes AC Milan's route to signing the Sweden international is effectively blocked before it has even opened.

The striker was a key figure for Arsenal last season, benefiting from Kai Havertz's inconsistent fitness to rack up minutes through the centre. This campaign has followed a different pattern, with Havertz preferred and Gyokeres spending large parts of matches on the bench.

That shift in the pecking order has fuelled speculation about his future, with both AC Milan and Juventus reportedly monitoring his situation.

Loan preference creates a problem

The complication is structural. Milan would reportedly prefer to bring Gyokeres in on an initial loan, while Arsenal are said to be very unlikely to sanction that kind of arrangement.

The Gunners still regard the forward as part of their plans, and the thinking is that any exit would need to be permanent so that the club could reinvest in a replacement. A temporary deal would leave Arsenal short in attack without the funds to address it.

Gyokeres, for his part, would reportedly be open to moving on if he does not receive guarantees over regular minutes. His position within the squad, rather than any dispute, appears to be the deciding factor.

Pellegatti pours cold water on the link

Italian journalist Carlo Pellegatti has addressed Milan's interest directly, and he does not expect it to progress. Speaking to Milan News, Pellegatti said: "I don't think so, I don't believe in the Gyokeres track because it would mean, on loan I don't think they'll give it to us at all, it would mean investing another 70 or 75 million for the striker, I'd rule that out."

Pellegatti is a long-established voice on all things Milan, and his assessment is that the numbers simply do not work for the Rossoneri. A fee in that bracket would represent a major outlay for a club that has typically favoured more creative deal structures in recent windows.

Juventus also remain in the picture, though the same permanent-transfer condition would apply to any Italian suitor.

What it means for Arsenal

For now, nothing changes. Gyokeres remains part of Mikel Arteta's squad and continues to compete with Havertz for the central role, with Arsenal under no pressure to move a player they still value.

The variable is game time. If the minutes do not increase as the season progresses, the questions around his future will keep coming, and Arsenal would then be in the position of setting the terms rather than reacting to them.

Milan's interest, at least as things stand, looks unlikely to test those terms. Attention will turn to how Arteta divides the load between his two centre-forwards over the coming weeks.