Viktor Gyokeres transfer news: Could Liverpool’s next manager decision help Arsenal sign 34-goal striker?
The agent of Viktor Gyokeres has dropped a huge hint that the striker could leave the club, stating it’d be ‘difficult’ for him to stay if manager Ruben Amorim moves on this summer.
Amorim is one of the most exciting young managers in Europe right now and is on the verge of leading Sporting to their second Primeira Liga title in four years with the club not having previously lifted the trophy since 2002. The 39-year-old has been heavily linked with the Liverpool job once Jurgen Klopp departs this summer, while Chelsea have also been linked with his services.
The future of Amorim is also set to play a key role in whether or not Sporting can keep hold of Gyokeres. The striker only arrived in Lisbon last summer from Coventry City but has taken Portugal by storm, scoring 34 goals across all competitions so far, including 22 in the Primeira Liga to lead the Golden Boot race and fire his side four points clear at the top.
As is often the case when a player excels in Portugal, Gyokeres is already being rumoured for another move. The likes of Arsenal and Chelsea have already been linked with an approach for the 25-year-old despite it being understood any suitor would need to trigger his £86m release clause to acquire him this summer. The former are the current favourites to land his signature.
Gyokeres’ agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, has now revealed Amorim was the main reason his client joined Sporting, with the manager’s departure potentially opening the door for any number of clubs across Europe to sign him.
“I’m not surprised that Ruben is being linked to Liverpool,” Cetinkaya told Portuguese outlet Record. “It’s normal, his work is of a high level and is what clubs are looking for.
“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 is my boy, he came to Sporting because of you’.
“Obviously, I will have to talk to the president, the president is the boss, the one who makes the decisions, and we will have to know what he thinks for the future and what Sporting’s project is, but Viktor also has a say, obviously, and if Ruben Amorim leaves, it will be more difficult to continue.”
Whether or not any club will be willing to meet Gyokeres’ release clause is another matter, but Cetinkaya is confident he has already generated sufficient interest in his client from ‘top clubs’ across Europe and stated he’d waste no time in moving him again if Amorim did leave Sporting.
“It’s a huge amount of money, only available to the biggest clubs, but I have several top clubs interested in Viktor,” he continued. “I can’t, of course, mention names of clubs, but they are top clubs, some from the Premier League, but not only England.
“It is important to emphasise this point: I chose Sporting for Viktor when there were eight other clubs interested. They were paying more and I could have taken him to the Premier League. I chose Sporting because of Ruben Amorim, because he could help Viktor develop, and it changed his career.”
Cetinkaya even placed the future of Amorim higher than playing in the Champions League when it comes to factors that will determine Gyokeres’ future: “Of course, it’s an honour for any player to be able to play in the Champions League, and Viktor is no exception, but there are other important things and Ruben Amorim is one of them. If he leaves, it will be more difficult for Viktor to continue.”
