Mikel Arteta will be given a closer look at Viktor Gyokeres when Arsenal lock horns with Sporting CP. The 26-year-old striker continues to be heavily linked with a move to the Premier League following his impressive performances for the Portuguese outfit.
Gyokeres, who sees his contract at the Jose Alvalade Stadium expire in June 2028, has featured 11 times for Sporting in the Primeira Liga this season, scoring 16 goals. Playing a key role in the side, they’ve have enjoyed a perfect start of the campaign and climbed to the top of the table.
The Sweden international has been central to Sporting’s success in the Champions League too, netting a hat-trick against Manchester City earlier this month to maintain their unbeaten streak. Unsurprisingly, Gyokeres has become one of the most coveted frontmen in Europe.
When Ruben Amorim’s former side, who are now managed by Joao Pereira, host Arsenal on Tuesday night, Arteta will have the opportunity to watch the striker first-hand. Gyokeres passed his audition against the Premier League champions with flying colours, and he’ll be hoping to pick up from where he left off against Arsenal, with club chiefs reportedly seeing the game as a chance to cast an eye over him according to the Mirror.
In an interview with Swedish publication Sport Bladet in September, Gyokeres admitted that Sporting were asking for ‘too much’ for his signature in the summer. He said: “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.
“Of course. You want to play at the highest level. It (his €100m/£84.3m release 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.”
Speaking to reporters after Sporting stormed past Manchester City, Amorim was asked about taking Gyokeres with him to Old Trafford. The newly-appointed Manchester United boss said: “I’ve just made peace with the Sporting fans, so I’m not even going to make a joke about it.
“Gyokeres is a Sporting player, which is a great club, he did a lot for the club, he was in the second division [of English football]. He just has to stay and finish the season at the club.”
According to The Telegraph, Gyokeres has a €100m (£83m) release clause in his contract with Sporting, but he’ll be allowed to leave for a lower fee in the summer. The report states that the Portuguese club could accept a bid worth around £63m – which would still represent a huge profit on the £20m they paid Coventry City at the start of last season.
While Old Trafford may be widely regarded as the obvious destination, Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that United have a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ in place to not pursue any Sporting players in January – which leaves the door wide open for the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur (and every other club in Europe) to make a move.
