Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal transfer reality emerges amid Sporting Lisbon release clause loophole

Viktor Gyokeres’ name continues to be on everyone’s lips after his outstanding Champions League debut against Lille this week.

It only took the Swedish striker 38 minutes to score the opening goal at Estadio Jose de Alvalade as Sporting went on to win 2-0. Perhaps it’s no surprise after his astonishing numbers in Portugal after completing the £20m move from Coventry City last summer.

Prior to the game, Lille boss Bruno Genesio warned his team over the 26-year-old. “The team has several talented players, including Gyokeres, who is quickly becoming one of the best strikers in Europe,” he said prior to the game.

Gyokeres could have gone on to score more goals after former Manchester United star Angel Gomes was sent off shortly after the first goal for a late challenge on the Sweden international. Nonetheless, Gyokeres was delighted to score in his debut.

“It’s fantastic! It was a dream to play here, and I finally made that dream come true,” he said after the game. “It couldn’t have been better. It was really fantastic, a great feeling. A great performance from the team and with brilliant fans.”

It was another reminder to English clubs of what they could have had if they triggered his €100m release clause in the summer with Chelsea and Spurs reported to be the ‘main clubs’ to watch regarding the striker, despite regular links with Arsenal as well. With that said, clubs considering reigniting their interest for Gyokeres in the January transfer window, will have to wait until the end of the season.

Sporting’s plan and release clause loophole

Portuguese outlet A Bola reports on Sporting’s plan to keep hold of Gyokeres in January – with the club reportedly adding a clever loophole into his current contract. When the 2023/2024 season ended and Sporting were crowned champions, Viktor Gyokeres helped by scoring 29 goals. He scored a total of 43 goals in 50 games both domestically and in European competitions.

After an impressive run by the Swedish international, many began counting down the days he would be sold to a wealthy, top European club. But the moment passed, the summer transfer window closed and Gyokeres remained at Alvalade. All it took was another masterful performance by the Swede for clubs to look again ahead of the January transfer window.

The question that has been asked daily on TV, radios and in newspapers in Portugal is: Will he stay beyond January? But Sporting have prepared themselves by making his release clause only valid in the summer transfer window. In other words, Sporting can always say no to his departure in the middle of the season — even though £85million would be difficult for them to refuse.

Losing Gyokeres was Sporting fans’ biggest nightmare in the summer of 2024. The 26-year-old goalscorer, signed from Coventry for £20 million.He has a historic release clause, similarly to Bruno Fernandes who left Alvalade for Manchester United in the winter of 2020 for £47m. Sporting fans breathed a sigh of relief after the window closed on September 2: Gyokeres stayed!

Gyokeres is still not letting up on the pitch and the goals continue to flow. And with that, it is certain that sooner or later the Swede’s departure will be inevitable.

But given that his release clause can only be triggered in the summer, Sporting fans can dream of Gyokeres in green and white until the end of the season. Refusing £100m will never be easy, but it will be harder for any club to sign him in January, knowing that there will be no active clause for the player during the winter transfer window.

“I don’t think he would have any problems playing in any of the top five leagues.”

Those are the words of former Sweden international Glenn Stromberg who believes Gyokeres can play in any of the top five leagues. He told O Jogo: “I’ve known Viktor for a few years now, not just now. I’ve always been convinced that he could become a great forward and a player that stands out in European football due to his characteristics and qualities,” he said. “Gyokeres is a player who is very active throughout the game, he’s very fast, physically strong and likes to go straight for goal.

“There are players who sometimes slow down, try to dribble but I really like Gyokeres because he goes straight into the attack in search of the goal and also makes good decisions.”

Last season, Stromberg had the opportunity to watch Gyokeres from the stands in their Europa League clash against Atalanta, the team he played for, for eight years and where he ended his career. He admitted to warning his former club over the Swede.

“In the past, I spoke to some friends at Atalanta to warn them about Gyokeres’ quality and I told them he was a player with a great future and for them to keep an eye on him,” he said. “Now it’s too late, he would have been a bargain but he’s already become too expensive.”

Sporting meanwhile, will only enter talks for the striker for a fee of around £86m, a high amount but one that could be justified. “I’m not saying it’s impossible but it’s a sum that only the big clubs in the big European leagues can afford,” Stromberg added. “He certainly has a lot of interest but one of those clubs will have to feel the need for a striker who can score a lot of goals and believe that Gyokeres can be that player.

“The fact that he plays in a league like Portugal which is not among the top five, could raise some doubts among coaches about whether he will be able to replicate Sporting’s numbers in a higher-level league, where there are stronger teams and better players. For those who don’t play in the main leagues, European competitions, especially the Champions League, it’s an opportunity to compete at a higher level.

“Scouts and coaches tend to value individual performances more in these competitions. It could be a way to dispel doubts about Gyokeres’ value and for him to show that he is not only capable of scoring goals in Portugal but also in a stronger competition. It could help decide who wants to make such an investment.

“I don’t think he would have any problems playing in any of the top five leagues. The league itself is not a problem. He is a player who has already shown great quality and just needs to continue doing what he has been doing well which is scoring goals. If he was to move to a major league, he would have to try to maintain his records or close to them.”