daniel chigunwe
Sporting President Frederico Varandas has warned that striker Viktor Gyokeres will be fined and asked to apologise to his squad after failing to turn up for pre-season training on time, amid reports of a move away from the Portuguese club.
The 27-year-old Sweden international was due to report for Sporting’s training camp in Portugal’s southern Algarve region on July 12 after being granted an extended break, according to media reports.
Gyokeres, who scored 54 goals last season, has three years left on his Sporting contract and has been linked with a move to Premier League club Arsenal.
“We’re calm. Everything will be resolved with the closing of the market, a heavy fine, and an apology to the group,” Varandas told the Lusa news agency on Saturday.
“If they (interested clubs) don’t want to pay fair market value for Viktor, we are very comfortable with that for the next three years. If the geniuses who are devising this strategy think that this puts pressure on me to facilitate the exit, they are not only completely wrong but are also making the player’s exit even more complicated.
“No one is above the club’s interests, whoever they may be.”
Gyokeres has bagged 97 goals in 102 matches for Sporting since his 2023 move from English second-tier club Coventry City, winning the Primeira Liga title in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
Sporting play Scottish champions Celtic in a friendly match at the Estadio Algarve on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Gyokeres scored a staggering 54 goals for Sporting last term across all competitions, and is rated as one of the most prolific forwards in Europe.
The former Coventry City and Brighton striker currently has three years still remaining on his contract with the Portuguese giants, though it appears unlikely in the extreme that he will be seeing out those terms as things stand.
Since making a £20m switch from Coventry to Sporting in 2023, Gyokeres has gone on a remarkable scoring spree in Portugal, netting 97 times in just 102 appearances across two seasons.
Gyokeres scored 43 goals for Coventry in his two and a half seasons, but never got to suit up in the Premier League for Brighton.
He has previously spoken of his desire to return to the English top flight, to get revenge for his empty spell with the Seagulls. ‘It’s one of the biggest leagues in Europe,’ Gyokeres said. ‘I spent several years there without being able to play a single match.
‘So, of course, it’s something I would like to do. It would be a great revenge.’
As reported by Mail Sport, Mikel Arteta had been keen to sign a new striker before his squad jets out to Singapore on July 19 to begin their tour of Asia.
But as it stands, Sporting seemingly hold all the cards and are more than happy to keep the Gunners waiting. —Daily Mail/Reuters.
Online Reporter