8 months ago
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Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres has played down the growing speculation surrounding his future and says it is not something he ‘takes too seriously’.
Just a year after arriving in the Portuguese capital from Coventry, the 25-year-old could be on the move again in the summer after an astonishing campaign in which he has scored 36 goals and laid on 14 assists in all competitions.
Chelsea have long-standing interest in Gyokeres and tried to prise him away from Sporting in January, while Arsenal have recently emerged as genuine contenders for his signature.
According to A Bola, the north Londoners are actually leading the chase but they will need to stump up his €100million (£85m) release clause in full, with Sporting unwilling to let their star man go for anything less.
In addition to the Premier League duo, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and top clubs in Spain and Italy are all also thought to be keeping tabs on Gyokeres.
The Sweden international, though, is paying little attention to the rumours that are swirling around him and insists he is happy at Sporting.
While away on international duty, he told the Swedish press: ‘I don’t think much about it now actually, I want to win the league and the cup with Sporting – that’s where I’m putting all my energy and strength.’
On being linked with such big clubs, he continued: ‘It’s a sign that I’ve been performing well, but it’s not something I take too seriously.
‘It’s just speculation, but it’s good and fun to talk about.
‘We’ll see what happens in the summer, I don’t know what will happen. But I really like Sporting and I don’t feel stressed at all for what’s to come.’
Gyokeres only cost £17m when he left Coventry for Sporting, and the forward admits that his £85m release clause represents ‘a lot of money’.
There have been suggestions in Portugal that Sporting could look to offer Gyokeres a new, bumper contract that would greatly improve his salary as well as raising his release clause to €120m (£103m).
Qualifying for the Champions League could be key to Sporting’s hopes of convincing the Swede to stay and, as league leaders with a game in hand, they currently occupy the only automatic qualification spot for Europe’s premier club competition.
Gyokeres has been the stand-out player in the Portuguese top-flight this season, bagging 22 goals and laying on 10 assists in 24 league outings – a key contribution every 67 minutes.
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