Club president Frederico Varandas insists no £59m deal exists for Swedish striker, despite reported interest from Premier League giants
Sporting president Frederico Varandas has dismissed reports of a gentleman’s agreement between the club and star striker Viktor Gyokeres that he can leave if any club makes a bid in the region of £60 million for him.
Varandas also told reporters that no formal offers have been received for the Swedish international despite heavy links to Manchester United and Arsenal.
It was reported on Monday that Manchester United have made initial contact with the player’s representatives to find out the finances involved in a possible deal.
Sources from Portugal said that Gyokeres had an informal agreement with Sporting that would allow him to leave for a fee of around £60 million (€70 million) this summer, as a kind of reward for having stayed at the club longer than was expected.
Such a fee would amount to a significant discount on his £85 million (€100 million) release clause. However, Varandas refuted those claims by saying that while Sporting promised not to demand the full clause, no specific price was ever set.
“I can guarantee Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for €60 million plus €10 million because I never promised that,” said Varandas. “What I told his agent was that we would not demand the full €100 million clause.”
Gyokeres has been one of Europe’s most prolific forwards since joining Sporting from Coventry City in 2023, netting 97 goals in 102 appearances across two seasons. It’s that form that has put him on the radar of several top clubs.
But Varandas confirmed that “to this day, Sporting has not received any offer for Gyokeres, not this summer, not last season.”
The player’s representatives sought assurances from Sporting last summer that the club would not block a future transfer if a major bid arrived. At the time, Manchester City’s current director of football, Hugo Viana, was Sporting’s sporting director and helped negotiate the terms.
“His agent wanted guarantees that we wouldn’t demand the full clause,” said Varandas. “I told him that at 27, no player leaves Portugal for €100 million. But I refused to set a fixed price because the market changes.
“It could be €40 million, €60 million, or €80 million. What matters is that we won’t hold him hostage to the clause.”
