Arsenal and Chelsea have been handed a huge transfer boost after Viktor Gyokeres’ agent revealed it would be difficult for the striker to stay at Sporting Lisbon if Ruben Amorim left.
Amorim has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace the departing Jurgen Klopp after Xabi Alonso revealed he would be staying at Bayer Leverkusen next season.
The Reds will need to pay Amorim’s £12.8m release clause to prize him away from Sporting where he is under contract until 2026.
Gyokeres to leave if Amorim does?
Gyokeres has been instrumental in Sporting’s success under Amorim this season as they chase a league and cup double.
The 25-year-old who joined from Championship club Coventry City last summer has scored 22 goals and provided ten assists in the Portuguese Liga as Sporting sit four points clear at the top with just seven games remaining.
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The Sweden internationals incredible debut season has attracted interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea who are reportedly both readying bids for one of Sporting’s prized assets.
Speculation over Amorim’s future has cast further doubt over the future of Gyokeres and it remains possible that both player and manager could leave Portugal this summer.
Gyokeres’ representative Hasan Cetinkaya told Portuguese outlet A Bola: “It doesn’t surprise me that Ruben is being linked to Liverpool, it’s normal, his work is of a high level, it’s what the clubs are looking for.
‘Yes, it will be more difficult for Viktor to stay if Ruben Amorim leaves Sporting because Viktor came precisely because of Ruben.
“The day we met, I said to Ruben: “Here’s my boy, he came to Sporting because of you”, he added.
Cetinkaya also revealed that eight teams battled it out sign the Swede last summer.
“There were eight clubs very interested in Viktor last summer.
“They all paid Coventry more than Sporting, they all paid Viktor more, they all paid a higher commission to the agent.
“And I brought him to Sporting because of Ruben Amorim, because I know his work and his work with the players. I chose Ruben because he is a coach at another level.”
Gyokeres, who is contracted until 2028 has a release clause of £88m in his current deal and any suitors would be expected to pay this.