Arsenal and Chelsea sent clear message over 'excessive' Viktor Gyokeres transfer clause

Arsenal and Chelsea will have to meet Viktor Gyokeres' £85million release clause if they wish to sign the prolific Swedish forward.

The former Coventry City striker hit 43 goals and registered 15 assists last season during a stunning debut campaign in Lisbon and Gyokeres remarkable form has shown no signs of slowing down having already reached the 10-goal mark in all competitions this term.

Arsenal, who are expected to go after a new marquee centre-forward at the end of the season, have scouted the player heavily but the Gunners were not willing to meet the eye-watering figure - which was deemed too expensive - this summer.

Meanwhile, Chelsea favoured a swoop for Victor Osimhen but the Blues were unable to agree contractual terms with the Nigerian, now on loan at Galatasaray, despite extensive discussions.

A move for Osimhen could be revisited in January thanks to a break clause that was written into Napoli's agreement with the Turkish giants but a transfer remains complicated, meaning other options are also in play should they decide to strengthen the tip of Enzo Maresca's attack.

While it's not a given that either Arsenal or Chelsea pursue Gyokeres, his numbers are becoming increasingly harder to ignore and he is undeniably one of the most attractive options in the striker market.

Gyokeres himself recently said on record that he believes the £85m release clause is steep but Sporting chiefs remain insistent that they have no interest in accepting bids below that figure.

That is the message being relayed both publicly and privately by the Portuguese club and with the ex-Brighton man firing on all cylinders, there is simply no reason why Sporting would demand a penny less than their magic number with Paris Saint-Germain also said to be interested.

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

Coventry had initially negotiated a 15 per cent sell-on clause in 2023 but the figure was reduced this summer after the Sweden international hit performance-related criteria.

The Sky Blues did receive a bonus payment, worth around £843,500 (€1m), however, to soften the blow and they will still bank 10 per cent of any future profit having now claimed around £20million including add-ons for the 26-year-old hitman.

Gyokeres recently claimed during an interview with the Swedish media that he had "no problem" staying put this summer, stating: “They (Sporting) wanted most of the starting players to stay and held us tight. That’s how it turned out, but I enjoy Sporting very much, so for me it was no problem to stay. Of course. You want to play at the highest level. It (his €100m release clause) was probably a bit too much because nothing came of it."

Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to read article