The Swedish international is apparently dissatisfied, despite interest from several of Europe’s top teams.
Viktor Gyokeres has apparently chosen to ‘go on strike’ to compel Sporting to let him leave the club during the forthcoming summer transfer window.
Despite the fact that the first transfer window of the summer closed on Tuesday, rumours about Sporting star Gyokeres’ future continue to circulate, with the striker connected with many European teams.
The transfer market will reopen on Monday, June 16, and Gyokeres is said to be ready to make a move as soon as possible after deciding to leave Sporting.
However, it has now been stated that he has taken his desire to leave a step further, deciding to ‘go on strike’ until the Portuguese club can agree on a contract for him to leave in the coming weeks.
According to Portuguese publication Record, Gyokeres has now informed Sporting manager Rui Borges and other club executives that he will never play for the club or wear a Sporting jersey again in an attempt to compel them to sell him.
His dissatisfaction is alleged to have stemmed from the club’s inaction in pursuing his sale after reaching a gentleman’s agreement on his departure in September.
Despite having a release clause of €100 million, Sporting reportedly guaranteed the Swedish international that he could depart for about €60 million plus €10 million in extra payments if an offer came in.
According to SportWitness, Hasan Cetinkaya, Gyokeres’ agent, informed Sporting that Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus, and Al-Hilal had all indicated an interest in paying this money, but they broke their word.
Instead of reassuring him that Sporting would accept a €60 million deal, the club’s general director, Bernardo Palmeiro, informed him that the 27-year-old forward had been priced at €80 million.
And it is just this dispute that has enraged Gyokeres, prompting him to inform his present club that he would not be returning for preseason, and that he may even leave his vacation early to speak publicly about the problem.
Despite interest from multiple teams, none of them have made an official approach for Gyokeres, possibly because they are waiting for the ongoing disagreement between his agent and Sporting to be addressed before formalising their interest.
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