The big story today for Portuguese newspaper A Bola is that Crystal Palace are close to agreeing a deal to sign Ousmane Diomande for €55m.
Whilst that figure likely includes bonus payments, it’s a big chunk of cash for Sporting. Viktor Gyökeres, meanwhile, was somewhat relegated to a smaller section of the newspaper’s front page.
After what is now weeks of the player sulking as Sporting refuse to sell him to Arsenal for a hugely discounted fee, the Swedish striker must know time is moving quickly. Sporting have started pre-season training today but Gyökeres has been given permission to return on July 7th instead.
The official reason for that is he was away with Sweden on international duty at the start of his break so is due a few extra days off. In reality, he wasn’t in the Swedish squad due to what was reported as a minor injury, and whilst he was in Stockholm it was instead to go nightclubbing with Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak who also had a nondescript minor injury.
Delaying things until July 7th gives everyone some breathing space and it would be no surprise if the date is pushed back further.
A Bola report something which may be significant for Arsenal. It’s been stated multiple times this summer that if Sporting receive an offer worth €60m or more for Gyökeres and reject it then they need to pay the player’s agent 10% compensation, so a minimum of €6m.
That clause only became active today, July 1st, according to A Bola. The report further states Arsenal are ‘willing to reach this value’.
Sporting want €80m and the club have made it clear that if the agent tries to use the €60m clause by getting a club to offer that just so it can be rejected and trigger the payment, Gyökeres’ price will revert to his €100m buyout clause.
Meanwhile, the player is on holiday in Greece and working with a personal trainer.
Whilst this isn’t being mentioned in Portugal, it’s worth Arsenal looking at previous Sporting transfers and the process. When the Lisbon club were selling Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United in January 2020, they’d repeatedly spoken about wanting €80m for the midfielder.
Portuguese clubs have to announce fees to the Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários (CMVM- see below), so there’s no possibility of being unclear about amounts.
In the end, Manchester United agreed to pay a flat fee of €55m for Fernandes, plus €5m after a number of appearances, €5m for Champions League qualification and a further €10m for individual objectives. That all took it to that magic €80m figure.
Arsenal need to be aware, though, they can’t just throw any bonuses in there. Tottenham Hotspur had also been attempting to sign Bruno Fernandes, and their offer was publicly mocked by Sporting president Frederico Varandas.
After the 2019 summer window, Varandas said: “The only serious proposal, which was still only verbal, was a €45m bid from Tottenham for Bruno Fernandes, plus €20m in bonuses.
“€20m in bonuses which were about Tottenham becoming the Premier League winners, which they never were, and winning the Champions League, which has also never happened. So I found these goals extremely imposs…. difficult to accomplish. And I understood not to sell Bruno Fernandes.”
Arsenal could replicate how Manchester United built a deal worth €80m and have a very good chance of success… and then pop 10% commission in the post to us.
Sporting have published the details of the Bruno Fernandes to #MUFC deal:
• €55m initial fee
• €5m after a number of appearances
• €5m for CL qualification
• €15m for individual objectives
• 10% of profit from future sale pic.twitter.com/GLtJwICMo8
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) January 29, 2020