Sporting Lisbon forward Viktor Gyokeres has provided another indication of his preferred next club amid ongoing interest from Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool.
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The former Coventry striker is widely expected to depart Sporting this summer after spending two seasons with the Portuguese side. ..Continue Reading
Gyokeres delivered an outstanding campaign, scoring 39 goals in Liga Portugal and adding six more in the Champions League, including a memorable hat-trick against Manchester City.
A move back to England seems increasingly likely, with Arsenal and Manchester United emerging as the frontrunners in the race for his signature.
Arsenal is particularly keen on securing a new centre-forward, while United is currently prioritizing a deal for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo after completing the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves.
In a recent interview with Vogue Scandinavia, Gyokeres reflected on his experiences in Portugal compared to England and Sweden, subtly hinting at his preferred destination for the next stage of his career.
“In Sweden, people work hard during the week and only socialise on the weekends,” he said.
“Here, it’s more lively during the week. They have dinners with friends, a glass of wine on Monday. I like that. After living in a hot country, it would be difficult [to return to a colder one].”
On specific rumours linking him with English teams, the 27-year-old replied: “Clickbait. Nowadays, it’s sports news 24 hours a day, and they come up with topics to keep the cycle going.”
In addition to speculation about a move to England, Gyokeres has also been linked with a potential transfer to Barcelona.
However, Barcelona’s sporting director Deco recently clarified that the club is not actively pursuing the Swedish forward, as Robert Lewandowski remains their primary striker.
Speaking about Gyokeres in particular, former Portugal midfielder Deco told A Bola: “He’s a great player, who has scored a lot of goals in recent years at Sporting, but at the moment we’re not looking for that position.
“We already have Lewandowski to play at number nine, so it’s not a position we’re looking for.”
Lewandowski, 36, has one year left on his deal at Camp Nou and scored in 27 goals this campaign as Barca regained the La Liga title under new manager Hansi Flick.
