Viktor Gyokeres, the standout performer for Sporting Lisbon, seems to have brushed aside the possibility of a potential move to Chelsea in January.
Having made a switch from Coventry City to the Portuguese powerhouse last summer, the 25-year-old forward carried over his impressive form, having netted 21 goals for the Sky Blues in the Championship the previous season.
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In the current campaign, the Swedish international has maintained his exceptional performance, scoring 22 goals and providing 10 assists in just 25 appearances.
In their quest for more firepower, Chelsea reportedly made a move for Gyokeres, tabling an offer of £73m, with a portion of it tied to performance-related bonuses, as per Portuguese reports.
However, Sporting is said to have rejected the proposal, given that Gyokeres’ release clause stands at £86m.
When asked about Chelsea’s interest, Gyokeres affirmed his complete concentration on Sporting, stating that he is not contemplating his next career move.
‘I don’t think anything about it,’ he told Sport TV. ‘I’m here and we have important games to play, I’m focused on that.
‘There’s a lot of talk on social media and elsewhere, but I’m not focused on that I don’t think about anything else. I’m here right now. I’m 100% focused on this and the club.’
Discussing the bid made by Chelsea, Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim insisted it wasn’t enough to tempt the club into doing business.
‘I don’t know, I didn’t even ask [director of football Hugo] Viana,” Amorim said this week.
‘Obviously, I was informed of the news. As soon as they said it was €85m, I thought: ‘that’s not enough’. It’s only €100m [£86m]. I’m not worried.’
In January of the previous year, Chelsea engaged in negotiations with Benfica, the arch-rivals of Sporting, to secure the signing of Enzo Fernandez.
The Blues faced several rejections for their offers before ultimately reaching an agreement to meet his £106m release clause.
