As Viktor Gyokeres has 15 goals and seven assists in his first 18 appearances for Sporting, it’s obvious why he’s already heavily linked with an exit from the Lisbon club.
Arsenal have been named as one of the main contenders for his signing, and the Gunners may get interested in what Lions manager Ruben Amorim has to say about the situation.
The coach today held a press conference, and as relayed by O Jogo, he was asked about the English interest in Gyokeres. He made it clear that it’ll take €100m to get the centre-forward signed in January.
“He has a cancellation clause and will only leave with that clause. If that happens, there’s nothing we can do. It’s normal for clubs to be on the lookout for players in Portugal because they’re ready for the best leagues in the world. But it’s clear that only for the clause,” said Amorim.
“We’re not thinking about that. We’ve lost a lot of players, like Matheus Nunes or Pedro Porro. Now it’s Gyokeres, who is the most outstanding. We’ve been able to renew the team. I don’t lose hours of sleep over it. I used to, because there was a need to sell in order to ‘survive’. Now there’s no need to sell, there’s a need to pay the wage bill. And if you pay the clause, the players have to leave for other leagues. We’ll find a solution. “
Amorim’s quotes go pretty much along with what has been said in the Portuguese media.
Today, newspaper Correio da Manhã has a story talking about Arsenal and Chelsea interest in Gyokeres, and claimining that the chase is being ‘ignored’ by Sporting.
It’s said the Lions won’t even sit at the table to negotiate unless someone shows up to trigger his €100m release clause.
So it seems Arsenal either pay that huge amount in January or wait for the summer for a smoother negotiation.
