Chelsea have ‘submitted a formal enquiry’ for Viktor Gyokeres as they look to hijack Arsenal’s move for the Sporting star amid reports of an ‘internal split’ at the Emirates over a deal the striker.
It was claimed on Wednesday that Arsenal chiefs had flown to Lisbon to complete the €70m [£58m] signing of Gyokeres ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea, though that report was later refuted by Sporting vice-president Francisco Salgado Zenha.
Zenha told reporters: “He has three more years on his contract. At the moment, there are no offers, he has three more years on his contract. I think the answer has been given. [Sporting’s transfer plans] won’t be any different from last year.
“We want to keep the best players and retain talent. We want to continue to be champions, have competitive teams and fight on all fronts.
“I have been in this role for seven years. In the years when Sporting were champions, we even made fewer sales than in other years … the fact that we are champions gives us a greater ability to retain players and talent.
“Coincidence or not, we have not had to sell any players in those times. Not that we have not received offers, but the market is not under our control, we are always dependent.”
Reports have previously suggested that Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta were picking between Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko, but have decided to Gyokeres, Berta’s first choice, quite possibly having heard of the very high transfer fee RB Leipzig want for Sesko.
But Arsenal now face significant competition from Chelsea in the race for Gyokeres according to Portuguese outlet Record, who claim the Blues and Juventus have ‘submitted formal enquiries about buying the striker in the past few hours’.
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Chelsea were waiting until after the Conference League final to ‘trigger their movement in the transfer market’ and ‘Blues transfer chiefs want to get a deal done quickly for a new ace ahead of the Club World Cup’, according to The Sun.
The report comes as the Daily Mail claims doubts have emerged at Arsenal over the signing of Gyokeres, despite the striker’s incredible 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting since his move from Coventry in 2023.
‘Internally views are torn on whether the striker can hit the ground running in the Premier League as the Primeira Liga is a different proposition’, the report claims.
It’s not yet clear whether Chelsea’s are planning to sign both Gyokeres and Liam Delap, who has reportedly given the green light to a move to Stamford Bridge despite previously ‘leaning towards’ Manchester United, with the lack of European football at Old Trafford thought to have put paid to their chances of signing the £30m Ipswich striker.