It may seem like a distant memory now, but Viktor Gyokeres used to play for Coventry City, and the Sky Blues are now set to benefit from his big move to Arsenal.
The impressive Swedish striker has been one of the most sought-after forwards over the last 12 months thanks to his phenomenal form at Sporting Lisbon.
Now, the next step in Gyokeres’ career appears to be decided as Arsenal get closer to securing the signature of the 27-year-old.
He was once a Championship player for Coventry City, now he’s one of the best strikers in the world. But, the Sky Blues are going to be rewarded for their part in his development if this transfer does go through.
The official Coventry City FC badge on the side of the CBS Arena ahead of the Arnold Clark Cup match between England and Italy
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Coventry City get 10% of Viktor Gyokeres transfer fee
The good news for Coventry is they hold a 10% sell-on clause as part of the original £20m deal that saw Gyokeres move to Lisbon back in the summer of 2023.
With Arsenal set to pay £55m for the forward imminently, the Sky Blues stand to receive a tidy £5.5m bonus.
However, it is worth noting Coventry are missing out on a further £2.25m after they sold 5% of the 15% sell-on clause back to Sporting last summer.
There is talk of Arsenal paying a further £8.5m in add-ons for the Gyokeres deal, but without knowing the exact nature of Coventry City’s rights in the move, it’s hard to say whether they can expect any further funds to come their way down the line.
Coventry City retain a 10% sell-on as part of Viktor Gyökeres' imminent Arsenal move.
Was originally 15%, but they sold back 5% to Sporting at the start of the season.🇸🇪
🚨 And Brighton have a 15% sell-on.
With @alex_crook. pic.twitter.com/zC4jh3Wf9y
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 13, 2025
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Still, that £5.5m will come in handy for Frank Lampard, who will be eager to bolster his squad in an attempt to improve on last season’s failed play-off attempt.
Kaine Kesler-Hayden is the key Coventry signing so far this summer, but the Sky Blues need a new goalkeeper and potentially a new striker if Haji Wright leaves the club.
Viktor Gyokeres celebrates after Sporting CP v Vitoria Guimaraes - Liga Portugal Betclic 2024/2025
Photo by Valter Gouveia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
How Viktor Gyokeres went from Championship obscurity to Champions League
Viktor Gyokeres may be a goal machine now, but it hasn’t always been that way. The Swedish star barely got a chance at Brighton in his early days and looked really poor during a loan spell at Swansea City, too.
It wasn’t until the 2021/22 campaign when things started to look up for Gyokeres, with a 17-goal haul that year for Coventry.
Team Games Goals Assists
Coventry City 116 43 17
Sporting CP 102 97 28
IF Brommapojkarna 67 25 9
FC St. Pauli 28 7 4
Swansea City 12 1 0
Brighton & Hove Albion 8 1 1
Sweden 26 15 6
Viktor Gyokeres career stats via Transfermarkt
The following season, Gyokeres bagged 21 goals and added 12 assists as the Sky Blues made it to the Championship play-off final, before losing to Luton Town.
Since moving to Sporting Lisbon, Gyokeres has truly exploded, scoring close to a goal per game in Portugal (97 goals in 102 appearances).
He’s been courted by Chelsea, Manchester United, and more, but appears to have chosen Arsenal now.