Earlier today we brought together all the Viktor Gyökeres drama from Thursday’s Portuguese newspapers, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus thought to be in the picture to sign him.
The situation really kicked off on Wednesday, when it was reported the striker had essentially threatened to go on striker and was ready to speak publicly about his anger after Sporting CP rubbished any idea he could leave for €60m plus €10m in potential bonuses.
Sporting president Frederico Varandas got there first and said his cub haven’t agreed to the €60m+€10m deal. There was an assurance €100m wouldn’t be demanded, with €80m seen as the asking price.
It was also reported Gyökeres’s agent met both Arsenal and Manchester United on Wednesday. The Gunners are thought to be ahead, simply because Arsenal have been in the picture for longer, but Ruben Amorim’s side were presented as trying to catch up and divert the player to Manchester United.
The Swedish media have generally been very quiet on the Gyökeres saga, instead covering what is being said elsewhere.
Now Aftonbladet have some information, which they say has come from ‘Sportbladet’s Portuguese sources’. That’s their sports section, however, it may be worth holding some doubt about that. If you were Swedish sources close to Gyökeres then wanting the opposite reporting could be a way to disguise where this latest leak is coming from.
Anyway, Aftonbladet state the bad feeling between Gyökeres’ camp and Sporting started over a year ago. At the end of May 2024, the player had minor knee surgery and it was agreed it would be kept quiet.
Aftonbladet then state: ‘But the day after the player and his representatives had a meeting with the club, it was leaked to Portuguese media that the procedure had been performed.’
The player’s camp then decided the leak was from the club and the purpose was to make a 2024 summer transfer unlikely. That sounds far-fetched, given the surgery was only minor and any interested club would find out during a medical anyway. Clubs aren’t going to completely abandon the idea of selling a player just because they’ve something in a newspaper.
Regardless, this annoyance from the player’s camp is what prompted the meeting with Sporting, and the less-than-€100m agreement was reached.
This is obviously getting a little grubby, and that may not be doing the player’s chances of a move to Arsenal or Manchester United much good.
https://x.com/Sport\_Witness/status/1933086187859947660