Viktor Gyokeres was the subject of interest in the Premier League this summer with Arsenal and Liverpool closely linked with his signing.
Though a move for the Swedish international did not materialise, he is expected to be a hot property in the upcoming transfer windows after picking up where he left off last season for Sporting CP.
Gyokeres has already scored 10 goals and provided five assists in all competitions this season for club and country, with rumours already arising about a potential move to the Premier League in January.
However, Football Insider has reported that a move in the winter is an unlikely prospect with the 26-year-old ‘unlikely to move’ as he is ‘settled in Portugal’ and consequently, would refuse a mid-season transfer.
Arsenal and Liverpool will have to wait for Gyokeres until next summer, as a result, but that’s not to say that they will cool interest in him to focus on other targets in 2025.
Gyokeres’ move to England is a matter of time
Viktor Gyokeres has been receptive to rumours of returning to England, having previously been on the books at Brighton and Coventry, and a step up from the Portuguese league could be on the horizon.
Sporting Lisbon will require his £84 million release clause [source: Football Insider] to be paid for any transfer to occur but looking at how brilliantly the forward has performed in the last year or so, it does seem like a justified investment for all three interested parties.
Arsenal have to prioritise a striker sooner or later as Gabriel Jesus’ injury issues are showing no respite and Mikel Arteta clearly needs a consistent goal-scorer to beat Manchester City to the title.
Liverpool, on the other hand, need a sharp shooter as Mohamed Salah’s replacement and while Gyokeres is not a positional proxy for the Egyptian, he is statistically on par with the former AS Roma star.
It would also not come as a surprise if foreign entities declare interest in his signing but what does seem set in stone for now is that Gyokeres will spend the entirety of 2024/25 with Sporting Lisbon.