Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres has acknowledged that his €100million (£84m) release clause likely deterred top clubs, including Arsenal, from pursuing him this summer.
The Swedish forward had an exceptional 2023-24 season after his transfer from Coventry City, netting 43 goals and providing 15 assists in 50 matches. His impressive form has continued into the new season, with seven goals in the first four games of the Portuguese league.
Gyokeres was one of the forwards Arsenal considered during the summer transfer window, along with Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko. Ultimately, Arsenal secured Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day. Chelsea had also shown interest, offering £73m, including bonuses, in January, but Sporting Lisbon rejected the bid.
Now, as Gyokeres joins the Sweden national team for Nations League fixtures against Estonia and Slovakia, he has spoken publicly for the first time since the transfer window closed. He reflected on the reasons behind his move not materializing, citing his high release clause as a major factor. Gyokeres mentioned that while he is content at Sporting Lisbon, he might contemplate a future move.
“They [Sporting] wanted most of the starting players to stay and held us tight. That’s how it turned out, but I enjoy Sporting very well, so for me it was no problem to stay,” he said in an interview with Aftonbladet.
He admitted, “It was probably a bit too much because nothing came of it. Of course it’s a lot of money. But we’ll see what happens next window.”
Gyokeres added, “Nothing happened and it feels like I had a pretty good season. So yes, that’s probably why there was simply no move.”
He further elaborated, “But that’s what Sporting thinks I’m worth, and then you have to respect that.”
Despite the transfer speculation, Gyokeres emphasized his satisfaction with his current situation. “I enjoy myself very much in Sporting and can’t complain about anything, so it’s absolutely no problem for me to stay. Of course you aim to test other leagues and a higher level, but I have no stress.”
