Viktor Gyökeres has opened up after continuous links to Arsenal this summer, speaking about a potential future transfer and his opinion of Sporting Club de Portugal’s asking price for him.
The striker has been speaking to Sport Bladet about his current transfer status after another busy summer of reports linking him to Arsenal.
He has been shining since joining Sporting in a €24m deal from Coventry in July 2023, bagging 50 goals and 18 assists in 55 games for the Portuguese side so far.
That followed an equally impressive 43 goals and 17 assists in 116 games for the Championship side that made him one of the best players in the division and highly sought after in 2023.
He’s only gone from strength to strength since arriving in Portugal, shining in the league and in the Champions League too.
That had reportedly interested Arsenal, who have been keeping a close eye on his development in Portugal and seemingly gearing themselves up for a move.
That’s yet to happen despite looking likely throughout this summer, and now Gyökeres has had his say on the matter.
“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 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.”
