On Tuesday, we explained the drama going on in Portugal after a disagreement between Viktor Gyökeres and Sporting CP over the price he’ll be sold for this summer.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus were credited as the main clubs interested, and the gist was that Sporting assured the player last summer he’d be able to move for much less than his release clause if he stayed for another season.
Gyökeres is protected by a €100m release clause, but Sporting are said to have promised him he can leave for around €60m plus €10m in bonus payments. That’s been reported for months in Portugal, and then in recent weeks it’s been made clear the Lisbon club could be looking for more, trying to use competition for his signature to push the price higher.
Hasan Çetinkaya, the player’s agent and who a lot of this week’s news appears to be coming from, is said to have told Sporting that Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus and Al-Hilal have ‘expressed their intention to make offers’ for the player.
In return he was told by the club’s general director Bernardo Palmeiro that the cost is €80m.
So what’s happening now? Record have again gone lengthy on the situation.
They state the Sweden international has now informed Sporting that he won’t play for the club again, angry over promises broken. The newspaper states: ‘That was exactly what, according to Record, Gyökeres transmitted to the club in the last few hours, due to the controversy surrounding the gentlemen’s agreement that existed since September and that the centre forward believes is now being disrespected.’
Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus and Al-Hilal are again mentioned, as well as the €80m the agent has been told to get.
Sporting president Frederico Varandas is set to speak at an event today, and whilst it’s not known whether he’ll address the situation directly, Record say sources insist that at no point did he give the assurances the player’s agent seems to think.
Meanwhile, Gyökeres is said to be convinced of what he was told, and won’t return to Sporting for preseason, with the insinuation he’d rather go on strike. It’s even stated he’s willing to interupt his vacation to speak publicly about the situation.
No club has made a concrete approach yet, presumably working with the player’s agent. Record believe Arsenal are ahead, although that may have changed over the past week given the Benjamin Šeško reports.
Manchester United are still in the picture, as are Juventus, and Al-Hilal are keen but they missed their Club World Cup transfer deadline and the player isn’t thought to be keen.