Sporting star Pedro Goncalves dropped a big hint that he and his team-mates expect Viktor Gyokeres to leave during the club’s Primeira Liga title celebrations at the weekend.
Gyokeres further established himself as one of the most sought-after attacking players in European football with his goalscoring exploits across a magnificent campaign in Portugal with Sporting.
The reigning champions held off bitter rivals to win the league title for a 21st time in their history on Saturday and Gyokeres scored the second in his side’s crucial 2-0 victory over Vitoria to take his tally for the top-flight season to 39 goals.
But Sporting’s hierarchy have grown increasingly resigned to losing their prized possession in the summer, with the Premier League’s elite battling it out to sign the prolific Sweden international.
Manchester United are determined to strengthen up front and Ruben Amorim has made it clear he would be keen to be reunited with his former Sporting player at Old Trafford next season.
Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
Stamford Bridge has been mooted as another potential destination for Gyokeres as Chelsea search for a proven goalscorer to ease the pressure on Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer.
But Arsenal have emerged as the frontrunners to wrap up a deal and have been told that Gyokeres is ‘all theirs’ if they stump up the £60million required when the transfer window opens for business.
‘I just want to tell you all something… they said we were never going to be champions without fans [during Covid], they said we were never going to be two-time champions without [Ruben] Amorim, they said we were never going to win the league without [Hugo] Viana,’ Sporting midfielder Goncalves said during the side’s open-top bus parade.
‘They say we won’t be three-time champions without Viktor [Gyokeres].
‘And now, what I want to say is: we’ll see.’
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Gyokeres himself refused to be drawn on the incessant speculation over his future during the parade, stressing that he was instead focussed on ‘celebrating together’ with the rest of Sporting’s squad.
‘It’s football, I’m still here. I don’t know what’s going to happen,’ the forward told Portuguese outlet Sport TV when quizzed on his next steps.
‘Nobody can predict the future. I’m very happy, it was a game that went well for us. Very happy to score and win.
‘It’s what we wanted. Incredible. We can see the support we’ve had. So many people in the streets, not just today, but even when it’s raining in November and December.
‘It’s incredible when there are so many people. Now we want to celebrate together.’
Gyokeres, who turns 27 in a months’ time, is tied into a contract in Lisbon until June 2028.
The striker played for Brighton and Swansea before completing a 2021 move to Coventry City, which is where he really made a name for himself with two eye-catching seasons in the Championship.
Sporting are in line to make a tidy profit should they cash in on Gyokeres considering they signed the Swede from Coventry for a fee of just £16.7m two years ago.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.