Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres has admitted his €100m (£84.3m) release clause was likely to block a summer exit from the club, but Arsenal target and Chelsea refused to rule out a January exit. transfer.
Gyokeres was signed from Championship side Coventry City in the summer of 2023 and has racked up 50 goals and 18 assists in just 55 appearances during his time in Portugal, attracting interest from Europe’s elite since January 2024.
arsenal i Chelsea both have followed Gyokeres for most of the calendar year, however, com 90 minutes revealed in Februaryconcern over Sporting’s determination to demand his €100 million full release clause pushed them back.
“(Sporting) wanted most of the starting players to stay and keep us strong,” Gyokeres said. Afton Bladet. “That’s how it was, but I really like Sporting, so it wasn’t a problem for me to stay.
“Of course you want to play at the highest level. (The release clause) was probably a bit too high because nothing came of it. Of course it’s a lot of money. But we’ll see what happens in the next window. Nothing. It happened although I feel like I had a pretty good season. So yeah, that’s probably why there hasn’t been a move.
“I enjoy a lot at Sporting and I can’t complain about anything, so it’s absolutely no problem for me to stay. Of course, you have the goal of trying other leagues and a higher level, but I don’t have any stress”.
Arsenal’s pursuit of a new striker is believed to have cooled as Mikel Arteta maintains confidence in Kai Havertz as a starter, but Chelsea are still keen to make a big signing and He spent the summer focusing on Victor Osimhen.
A deal could not be reached for the Napoli forward, who joined Turkish side Galatasaray on loan after being frozen out by the Serie A side. A January bid from Chelsea remains a possibility.
