Sporting CP have finally named their price for Viktor Gyökeres, setting a minimum threshold of €80 million for any club wishing to sign the prolific Swedish forward this summer, and that club looks like it will be Arsenal.
Sporting CP have now made their position clear: Viktor Gyökeres will be sold this summer only if a bid totalling €80 million (£69 million) is received.
After weeks of conflicting reports and informal contacts from interested clubs including Arsenal, the Lisbon side have indicated they are willing to accept performance-based bonuses as part of the deal, but not to the extent initially proposed by the Gunners.
Arsenal’s most recent ‘indication of interest’ was understood to involve a structure worth €60 million plus €10 million in bonuses, totalling around £60 million.
Sporting considered that first offer insufficient and below the valuation set internally for the 27-year-old Sweden international, who has three years left on his contract and a formal release clause of €100 million.
Sources at A Bola report that Sporting are open to structured deals, but only if the proposed bonuses are considered “realistic” and achievable. Any deal that reaches €80 million in value, whether paid outright or through secure variables, will be considered acceptable.
A Bola also add that the club are not entertaining offers that rely heavily on contingent clauses or creative accounting.
Arsenal are now said to be in advanced talks with Sporting after agreeing a five-year deal with the player, with the clubs close to agreeing a deal.
Gyökeres was due to return to training with Sporting on Monday but has now been given until Friday to return. Despite reported frustration from the player’s camp over a perceived broken promise regarding his exit this summer, and rumours of a possible strike, Sporting expect him to report as normal unless a deal is agreed in the next few days.
His agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, is said to believe the player was given assurances in January by then-sporting director Hugo Viana that a bid in the region of €60 million plus €10m would be enough to secure a move in 2025. That is what Arsenal offered initially.
However, the club now seem to have no intention of honouring any agreement that was not part of his contract.
Sporting signed Gyökeres from Coventry City for €20 million plus €4 million in add-ons. He has since emerged as one of the most effective forwards in European football, scoring consistently in both domestic and European competition.
His profile has risen significantly, and Sporting now feel fully justified in setting an asking price that reflects that, as is their prerogative.