Arsenal, Barcelona transfer target gives update on exit stance: ‘Let’s see if something happens’

Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres seems to be a man in demand having already found the back of the net nine times this season, but nobody seems willing to meet the Sweden striker’s €100m release clause.

After opening the scoring in Sporting’s 2-0 win on Tuesday night in the Champions League, Gyokeres admitted to be unsure whether his release clause was too high.

He said: “Good question. I don’t know. I don’t work for the club or am a businessman. I’m not up to speed on that. It’s a lot, but I don’t want to go anywhere. I’m happy at Sporting, it’s not a problem for me to stay. My value is my value. Let’s see if something happens.”

Gyokeres had been linked with a host of clubs throughout the summer, including Arsenal , though no move materialised off the back of a fantastic 2023/24 season where he scored 43 goals in all competitions.

With Mikel Arteta’s side having narrowly missed out on a first Premier League title since 2004 last season, Gyokeres’ goals could have certainly added a different dimension to the Gunners, closing the gap on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and it came as a surprise that Arteta didn’t land a striker in the summer transfer window.

MORE ARSENAL COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Arsenal star with Chelsea pair in £116m list of Premier League stars regretting their summer transfer
👉 Saka reveals he ‘misses’ three ex-Arsenal stars as he gives Sterling verdict: ‘I’m not going to lie’
👉 Webb admits mistake as he gives Rice red card verdict in Arsenal vs Brighton match

Gyokeres is going into just his second season in the Portuguese capital after tearing up the Championship for Coventry City, with no Premier League clubs keen on taking a punt on the striker while applying his trade in England.

Sporting manager Ruben Amorim had also been linked with a move to the Premier League last season with the 39-year-old coming close to taking over the reins at the London Stadium as David Moyes’ predecessor.

Amorim will have been delighted to keep hold of his star man as Sporting aim to win back-to-back Liga NOS titles this season, a feat the club last achieved in the 1950’s.

With a pool of talented players like Gyokeres himself, Pedro Gonçalves, Francisco Trincao and Morten Hjulmand, rivals Porto will certainly face a challenge in stopping Amorim’s men this season.

As for Gyokeres, the club will be hoping to keep him fully fit and firing throughout the season. Sporting find themselves in a win-win situation, with the sum they could attract from Gyokeres’ transfer fee an enormous amount of money which would allow them to reinvest into youth, something Portuguese clubs have done so well of in previous summers.