Viktor Gyokeres could miss Arsenal matches to be a witness in court

Viktor Gyokeres could miss crucial game time for Arsenal next year after being summoned to give evidence in a Swedish legal battle. The striker joined Arsenal from Sporting CP in a blockbuster £63.7million summer deal and has netted twice in his opening three Premier League outings.

However, his availability in 2026 is now under threat after becoming embroiled in a Stockholm court case. The 27-year-old forward is represented by Hasan Cetinkaya, who has launched a lawsuit for gross defamation against two Swedish publications.

The legal action centres on claims, printed by Fotboll Sthlm and Expressen, that Cetinkaya and his agency, HCM Sports Management, maintained connections to criminal organisations.

Cetinkaya refutes the allegations and had previously complained to Sweden's media ombudsman about "violations of good journalistic practice".

He has now taken the dispute to Stockholm District Court.

Gyokeres faces no criminal charges and is set to appear purely as a witness.

Court documents submitted by Cetinkaya's solicitor, Joakim Lundqvist, reveal the Sweden international has consented to take the stand if necessary.

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Lundqvist told SVT Sport: "He has been called as a witness to be heard in the case regarding the circumstances described in the evidence."

The legal proceedings follow a shooting incident in Stockholm's Huddinge suburb during August.

Gunfire was directed at the residence of a relative connected to one of Gyokeres' representatives. Stockholm police are still investigating the incident, which resulted in no injuries, but have issued a warning about the potential for violence given the vast sums of money involved in the industry.

The forward officially became an Arsenal player on July 26 after a protracted and increasingly acrimonious transfer saga. A verbal spat ensued between Gyokeres' representatives and Sporting president Federico Varandas, who refuted allegations of a gentleman's agreement to sell the striker this summer.

Sporting imposed a fine on Gyokeres for his refusal to train, but eventually, all parties reached a consensus. The ex-Coventry and Brighton striker has featured in all three of Arsenal's Premier League matches this season, netting twice in the 5-0 rout of Leeds.

He is currently representing Sweden on international duty, where he was in the starting line-up for their 2-2 draw against Slovenia in Ljubljana on Friday night. Sweden are set to face Kosovo in another World Cup qualifier in Pristina on Monday night.