Chelsea could reportedly face missing out on the transfer of Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres in the summer due to what looks highly likely to be a lack of Champions League football on offer at Stamford Bridge.
Gyokeres has shone at Sporting this season to attract links with bigger clubs, though it may be that he can be persuaded to stay at Sporting for another year as they’ll be in the Champions League and Chelsea won’t be.
That’s according to the latest from the print edition of Portuguese newspaper Record, as cited and translated by Sport Witness, with the Sweden international also possibly set to be given a higher release clause worth as much as €120million.
Chelsea could do with signing a new striker next season, with Nicolas Jackson badly struggling in Mauricio Pochettino’s misfiring side this term.
Gyokeres’ prolific record suggests he could be the answer for Chelsea as well as other top clubs, though it makes sense that the player could be swayed by Champions League football.
Chelsea would normally be an attractive option for a top talent like this, but they really have gone backwards in recent times and that could now cost them in the transfer market.