Coventry City: Doug King addresses Viktor Gyokeres sell-on clause & potential windfall | OneFootball

Doug King went through tough negotiations with the Portuguese side to get the terms he did

Coventry City are undoubtedly watching the stories circling Viktor Gyokeres with a keen eye, and club chairman Doug King has addressed the fact that the Midlands outfit could be set to benefit from a sell-on clause for the powerful Swede.

The striker spent two and a half seasons at the CBS Arena, lighting up the Championship in 2021/22 and 2022/23 with his finishing prowess.

That prompted a move to Europe in the summer of 2023, with Sporting CP splashing out £20 million for Gyokeres' services - a deal which Sky Blues owner King says was difficult to get over the line at a figure that worked for his club.

King managed to get a healthy sell-on clause in the deal, and has now revealed his thoughts on potentially cashing that in over the coming months.

Doug King reveals difficulty in Viktor Gyokeres sale to Sporting CP

Gyokeres had always been a promising talent but never quite fulfilled that promise in stints at Brighton & Hove Albion and Swansea City, among others.

However, he really clicked into gear at the CBS Arena, netting 17 and 21 Championship goals in consecutive seasons.

And when Coventry missed out on promotion in the play-off final against Luton Town in that second season, it was clear the Swede would be off to test himself in a higher league.

With just a year left on his deal with Coventry, King and his team managed to net a £20 million fee for the striker, in a deal that he says was difficult to get over the line due to a stubbornness over the club he wanted to land at.

Speaking to CoventryLive, King said: “Look, the deal we did with Viktor was a difficult deal to get done.

"He was going to Sporting Lisbon, Sporting Lisbon, Sporting Lisbon or Sporting Lisbon, and they felt they were going to get what they wanted, and we had to fight hard to get our deal.

“And the deal we got, I thought, was pretty damn good considering he had one year left and could have signed a pre-contract in four months.”

Doug King assesses chances of Coventry City windfall from Viktor Gyokeres sell-on

Also included in the deal was a ten per cent sell-on clause, calculated on the difference between the fee he went to Sporting for and any fee they might receive for his next transfer.

With a release clause thought to be worth £84 million in his current contract, a departure for that sum would see the Sky Blues take a further £6.4million, making a total deal for the club £26.4 million.

In 68 appearances for the Portuguese side, Gyokeres had netted 66 goals and provided a further 19 assists so far, which is a truly staggering record.

His former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim has just filled the vacancy at Manchester United, naturally provoking thoughts of a potential switch to Old Trafford for Gyokeres, but realistically, with stats like those, they’re unlikely to be the only suitors.

Speaking to CoventryLive about the prospect of a further windfall, King added: “Look, it will come or it won’t.

"I was happy with the deal and if he flogs on for €100million then we get some money to put into the coffers. We have already invested a lot of money into this club.”

Viktor Gyokeres windfall would come at a much-needed time for Coventry City

A multi-million-pound sum filtering into a Championship club will always be welcome, with the sort of money being projected being plenty to sign a top talent in the second tier.

However, the windfall would also come following a season of extraordinary costs for Coventry this year.

The first came in the relatively unexpected sacking of Mark Robins, who joined the club for his second stint as Sky Blues boss in 2017, after leading them to the FA Cup semi-final, and inches away from the final, last season.

That early departure will undoubtedly have associated costs for Coventry as they pay up the remainder of his contract.

Further funds will then be required to hire a new boss, with another former Reds striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and fellow ex-Premier League star Frank Lampard putting their names in the hat.

No manager will be a cheap hire in the Championship, but those two in particular are bound to command a substantial wage.

King seems relatively relaxed regarding whether a Gyokeres windfall is on its way, but with the season going how it is at the moment at the CBS, it would certainly land as a welcome boost.