Viktor Gyokeres has suggested he was priced out of a summer move by Sporting Lisbon amid reported interest from Arsenal.
The Swedish striker was heavily linked with a switch to the Emirates following his incredible goalscoring exploits in the 2023/24 season.
He banged in 43 goals and provided 15 assists in 50 games in all competitions to fire Sporting to the Portuguese league title.
It has been widely speculated that the Gunners are huge admirers of the 26-year-old, who scored 21 Championship goals for Coventry in the 2022/23 campaign.
But Arsenal failed to formalise their interest in the ex-Brighton centre-forward, with Mikel Arteta deciding against bringing in a striker during the summer window.
And with the player boasting a release clause worth £85million, Gyokeres believes the huge sum of money put off potential suitors.
He told Sport Bladet: “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.”
Gyokeres then refused to rule out a move away from Sporting in 2025 as he remained coy over his future.
He added: “Of course. You want to play at the highest level.
“It (his £85m 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.
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“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.”
As if there was ever any doubt, Gyokeres has started the new season in blistering fashion – chipping in with seven goals and three assists in five club matches.
He has found the back of the net in each of the opening four top-flight matches.
And he even fired in against Azerbaijan for Sweden in their 3-0 Nations League victory on Thursday night.
If he continues his remarkable form, you wouldn’t put it past a European giant of looking to snap him up when the market reopens in January.
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