SPORTING CLUB president Frederico Varandas has told Viktor Gyokeres he will be fined and made to apologise to his teammates after the striker failed to report to pre-season training.
Gyokeres, 27, went AWOL as he tries to force through a move to Arsenal amid an ongoing battle with current club Sporting over his valuation.
Sporting Club president Frederico Varandas has told Viktor Gyokeres he will be fined and made to apologise for going AWOL[/caption]
Viktor Gyokeres has gone on strike to try and force through a move to Arsenal[/caption]
Arsenal have already agreed a five-year deal with Gyokeres, but are locked in negotiations with Sporting over a fee to sanction the move.
Gyokeres has made it clear he doesn’t intend to return to training or play for Sporting again after feeling betrayed by the club going back on a gentleman’s agreement to allow him to leave £52m plus £8.6m in add-ons.
Arsenal are said to have already surpassed this fee in negotiations, but Sporting are now holding out for a higher sum.
President Varandas has insisted that the club remains “calm” about Gyokeres’ future and are willing to sit out the window and keep the Swede at the club if their valuation isn’t met.
He told Portuguese outlet Lusa: “We’re calm. Everything will be resolved with the closing of the market, a heavy fine, and an apology to the group.
“f they [interested clubs] don’t want to pay fair market value for Viktor, we are very comfortable with that for the next three years [the length of his contract].”
Varandas went on to claim that Gyokeres’ strike action isn’t putting the club under any pressure to sell.
He added: “If the geniuses who are devising this strategy think that this puts pressure on me to facilitate the exit, they are not only completely wrong but are also making the player’s exit even more complicated.
Varandas’ stubborn stance could scupper Mikel Arteta’s transfer plans[/caption]
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“No one is above the club’s interests, whoever they may be.”
Arsenal are thought to still be in advanced talks with Sporting over the transfer but, for now, remain £4.3m away from the Portuguese champions’ valuation of their star striker.
The Gunners have been chasing a new front-man all summer and appear to have landed on Gyokeres as their priority.
The Swedish international has claimed this week that he is amongst the best strikers in world football, comparing himself the the likes of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
Speaking to L’Equipe, he said: “I’m definitely one of them.
“I am at the same table as them now. What I have managed to do at Sporting, I am convinced I can achieve anywhere.
“You haven’t seen the best of me yet.”
Gyokeres scored 54 goals and registered 13 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions last season.
Those figures mean the talismanic bagsman scored more goals than any other player across Europe’s top 10 leagues last term.
Despite going on strike, Gyokeres has remained coy on his future publicly.
When asked about a summer move, he said: “Maybe. That’s football, you never know. I don’t think about it, we’ll see what happens.
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“The most important thing for me is to just play for a club that really wants me.”
Gyokeres – who has had interest from a host of clubs, including Manchester United – is determined to seal a move to Arsenal.
And the striker is hoping he can prove that he is good enough to make it in the Premier League after failing to make a Prem appearance during a two year stint on the books at Brighton.
He said: “It’s one of the biggest leagues in Europe.
“I spent several years there without being able to play a single match.
“So, of course, it’s something I’d like to do. It would be great revenge.”
