Arsenal sent clear warning over striker target as club president drops €100m truthbomb

Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas has provided a fresh update on Viktor Gyokeres as Arsenal continue to be linked with a move for the 26-year-old.

It’s no secret that the Gunners were in the market for a new centre forward in the summer, but after being linked with several options, they opted against bringing in a new number nine.

Indeed, the club had been tracking Gyokeres but they were ultimately put off by his €100m release clause. Instead, Mikel Arteta seems content to rely upon the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus for the time being.

However, if Arsenal do decide to rekindle their interest in Gyokeres, the Sporting president has insisted that €100m would be good value for money as he claims ‘inferior players’ have been sold for more than that in the past.

“A 100 million euro clause and whether it can be met depends on the player’s current situation, age, and whether there is more than one club in the running,” Varandas said via Record .

“I’ve seen inferior players being transferred for over 100 million, great players for under 100 million.

“Sporting is happy to have Viktor and he is happy here. During the transfer market, there wasn’t a day without news saying that Viktor was leaving.

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“The transfer market closed and these questions continue. But hey, we live with it and that’s how it will be.

“We have a strong team, Viktor knows that he is well supported by two stars like Pote (Pedro Gonçalves) and (Francisco) Trincão. Morten is very humble. Sporting has a highly valued group today.

“I don’t remember having such a valuable squad, in terms of assets. Now, if we are going to surpass our rivals, it will be on the pitch.”

Sporting working on a new contract

As of writing, Gyokeres is under contract with Sporting until the summer of 2028, although the Portuguese club are keen to tie him down to a fresh deal.

According to Record , the Primeira Liga side want to reward the Swedish international with a new deal that will involve a hefty pay rise.

Given the form he has showcased since arriving in Portugal, it’s no wonder that the club is doing everything they can to keep him around.

He’s already scored seven goals in his first four league appearances of the season and given he is only 26, he still has the best years of his career ahead of him yet.

Gyokeres happy at Sporting for the time being

Despite being linked with a plethora of clubs throughout the summer, Gyokeres himself has claimed that he is happy in Portugal, although he does want to test himself at the “highest level”.

“They [Sporting] wanted most of the starting players to stay and held us tight. That’s how it turned out, but I enjoy Sporting very much, so for me it was no problem to stay,” he said.

“Of course. You want to play at the highest level. It [his €100m exit clause] was probably a bit too much because nothing came of it. Of course it’s a lot of money. But we’ll see what happens next window…

“Nothing happened and it feels like I had a pretty good season. So yes, that’s probably why there was simply no move. But that’s what Sporting thinks I’m worth, and then you have to respect that.

“I enjoy myself very much in Sporting and can’t complain about anything, so it’s absolutely no problem for me to stay. Of course, you aim to test other leagues and a higher level, but I have no stress.”

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How does Gyokeres compare to Arsenal’s current forwards?

When comparing Gyokeres and his goalscoring numbers from last season, it will probably come as no surprise to learn that he is significantly more prolific than the likes of Havertz and Jesus.

While Havertz and Jesus boast a wide range of technical skills, Gyokeres’ scoring numbers are vastly superior, albeit he is playing at a lesser level in Portugal compared to the Premier League.

In 2023/24, Gyokeres averaged a goal or assist every 76.7 minutes as he produced 29 goals and eight assists in Liga Portugal. Comparatively, Havertz averaged a goal contribution every 132 minutes last season and Jesus every 164 minutes.

It remains to be seen whether or not Arsenal would be prepared to splash €100m on the Sporting forward, but they certainly won’t be the only side interested in him come January.

Along with Gyokeres, Arsenal are still considering Inter’s Marcus Thuram and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko as alternative targets.