Sporting president Frederico Varandas has denied reports suggesting the club have a gentleman’s agreement in place that would allow striker Viktor Gyokeres to leave for £59m this summer.
The 27-year-old Sweden international has been strongly linked with Premier League sides Manchester United and Arsenal following an extraordinary spell in Portugal, where he has scored 97 goals in 102 appearances over two seasons.
While Gyokeres has a €100m (£85m) release clause in his contract, recent speculation suggested that after staying at Sporting last summer, an informal agreement was made allowing him to leave for around €70m (£59m). Varandas, however, firmly dismissed that notion.
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for €60m plus €10m because I never promised that,” Varandas stated. “To this day, Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres — not now, nor last season.”
The striker initially made his name in England with Coventry City in the Championship before joining Sporting under manager Ruben Amorim. Last summer, Gyokeres’ agent held talks with then-Sporting director Hugo Viana (now at Manchester City) in which future transfer scenarios were discussed.
“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the full release clause,” Varandas explained. “He wanted assurances. What was agreed is that Sporting would not insist on the full €100m clause.
“For one simple reason: at 27 years old, no player leaves Portugal for €100m or €90m. In that meeting, the agent wanted to fix an exact amount. I said: ‘It’s pointless to set a price because I don’t know what will happen in a year — it could be €40m, €60m or €80m. What I can promise is that I won’t demand €100m.'”
Gyokeres remains one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, but Sporting maintain that any transfer will depend entirely on negotiations and offers that reflect his current market value.
