da bet nacional： Chelsea have been dealt a disappointing blow in their efforts to sign Viktor Gyokeres with the striker saying he wants to stay at Sporting CP.
da 888： Article continues below
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Gyokeres in excellent form in PortugalChelsea among teams eager to sign striker€100m forward wants to stay at SportingWHAT HAPPENED?
The Blues are said to be after the Sweden international, who has scored 17 goals in 20 matches this season. However, the 25-year-old striker is in no hurry to leave the Portuguese club any time soon having only moved to Lisbon in the summer.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT GYOKERES SAID
He told : "I’m very happy here and I don’t care about any interested parties at the moment. I’m enjoying every day here and not thinking about what’s going on around me. Yes, there’s talk of big clubs, but for now it’s just news. That’s all… This is where I want to stay."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Sporting have no intention of selling one of their prized assets at this stage, either, and any team trying to sign him will have to match the €100 million (£87m/$110m) release clause in his contract. Coach Ruben Amorim reiterated that they would not accept a lower fee, but admits Gyokeres' attitude could change at any moment and he may want to leave. He told reporters recently: "Anything is possible, the players may want to stay but it could happen that changes our way of seeing things. In the past it was more difficult for me because an offer could come up and the player had to go, we had another urgency, but now it's just for the clause. The player's will changes, sometimes anything in our life changes, everything is possible. But we are protected because we have a clause that is high. I am more relaxed now because our situation is clearer, if you have to go, go by the clause. What matters is that the player is happy, but Sporting will survive without Viktor."
DID YOU KNOW?
Gyokeres is not the only Sporting player Chelsea are reported to be interested in signing. They are said to be already in talks with the Lisbon club over a possible deal for central defender Ousmane Diomande, who is said to valued at around £69m ($88m).