Sporting Clube de Portugal president Frederico Varandas has dismissed rumours of a €60million summer exit for Viktor Gyokeres amid interest from Arsenal.
football.london previously reported on the ‘gentleman’s agreement’ said to give Gyökeres an escape route from Sporting before his contract ends for a fee below his €100million release clause.
However, this week, reports in Portugal claimed that Sporting had bumped up the Swedish striker’s price tag from an initial valuation consisting of a €60m fee plus €10m in add-ons to a €80m (£67.7m) demand.
The alteration reportedly irked Gyokeres, leading him to scrub his social media profile of any mentions of Sporting and Sweden, now simply presenting himself as a ‘sportsperson’.
While Sporting initially remained quiet on the raised turmoil, Varandas has since broken his silence during an event at a museum in Leiria on Wednesday.
Asserting his resilience, he bluntly stated: “One thing is that you should already know me better. Threats, blackmail and insults don’t work with me.
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for €60+€10m (in add-ons) because I never promised him that.”
Even when pressed about potential offers matching the alleged original valuation, Varandas added: “To this day, Sporting has not had an offer for Viktor Gyokeres, neither today nor last season.”
He encapsulated his response by praising Gyokeres’ professionalism and reiterating the absence of bids for the player who remains under contract with the Portuguese giants for another three years.
“It was agreed that Sporting would not demand the release clause at the end of the season, especially because he was going to be 27,” Varandas explained.
“We knew about Viktor’s dream of going to a club where he could fight for the Champions League and we have common sense.
“We guaranteed that we would not demand €100m. Sporting has common sense, it keeps its word.
“The president of Sporting said that the club would not demand the clause and that we would adjust the value to Viktor’s performance, he was one of the best players ever to step on the pitch in Portugal.”
