Viktor Gyokeres drops transfer hint amid Arsenal & Chelsea interest | OneFootball

Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres has admitted his €100m (£84.3m) release clause likely blocked a summer exit from the club, but the Arsenal and Chelsea target refused to rule out a January transfer.

Gyokeres was snapped up from Championship side Coventry City in the summer of 2023 and has gone on to rack up 50 goals and 18 assists in just 55 appearances during his time in Portugal, attracting interest from Europe's elite as early as January 2024.

Arsenal and Chelsea have both followed Gyokeres for most of the calendar year but, as 90min revealed in February, concerns over Sporting's determination to demand his full €100m release clause caused them to back away.

"[Sporting] wanted most of the starting players to stay and held us tight," Gyokeres told Afton Bladet. "That's how it turned out, but I enjoy Sporting very much, so for me it was no problem to stay.

Gyokeres's €100m release clause proved problematic / Gualter Fatia/GettyImages

"Of course, you want to play at the highest level. [The release clause] was probably a bit too high because nothing came of it. Of course, it's a lot of money. But we'll see what happens next window. Nothing happened even though it feels like I had a pretty good season. So yes, that's probably why there was simply no move. But if that's what Sporting thinks I'm worth, and then you have to respect that.

"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."

Arsenal's search for a new striker is believed to have cooled as Mikel Arteta retains faith in Kai Havertz as his starter, but Chelsea are still keen to make a big signing and spent the summer focusing on Victor Osimhen instead.

A deal could not be struck with the Napoli striker, who went on to join Turkish side Galatasaray on loan after finding himself frozen out by the Serie A outfit. A January offer from Chelsea remains a possibility.