Arsenal and Chelsea target Viktor Gyokeres has won the Liga Portugal Player of the Season. The 26-year-old has enjoyed another fine campaign at Sporting CP, scoring 54 goals in 52 matches across all competitions.
Gyokeres was crowned as the division’s top scorer after finding the net 39 times – a staggering 20 more than second-place Benfica talisman Vangelis Pavlidis. He helped Sporting win the Portuguese top-flight for the second straight season, and then played a pivotal role in their Taca de Portugal final win against Benfica.
As a reward for his performances, Gyokeres has been named as the star man in the Liga Portugal for the 2024/25 campaign – an award handed to him by global transfer network Transfermarkt. Sporting announced that Gyokeres had won the accolade on social media on Wednesday.
As translated from Portuguese into English, a post on Instagram from Sporting CP read: “@viktorgyokeres has won the PLAYER OF THE SEASON award of the Portugal Betclic League 24/25, awarded by @transfermarkt_official [clapping hands emoji].”
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes liked the post, while Gyokeres shared the announcement on his own Instagram story, as he toasted becoming the best player in Portugal’s top-tier.
It comes as speculation continues to increase regarding Gyokeres’ future at Sporting. Arsenal have made the former Coventry City man a top target as they look to add a No.9 to their squad this summer. Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta has identified the Swede after attempting to sign him at Atletico Madrid last summer.
However, Arsenal are expected to face serious competition from Chelsea for Gyokeres, with the Blues lodging a proposal to sign him after winning the Conference League, according to Record. It’s reported that Enzo Maresca’s side have ‘made an enquiry’ for Gyokeres in the ‘last few hours’.
Speaking earlier this week, Sporting vice-president Francisco Salgado Zenha provided an update on his future and revealed the club haven’t received any offers. He said: “He has three more years on his contract. At the moment there are no offers, he has three more years on his contract.
“I think the answer has been given. [Sporting’s transfer plans] won’t be any different from last year. We want to keep the best players and retain talent.
“We want to continue to be champions, have competitive teams and fight on all fronts. I have been in this role for seven years. In the years when Sporting were champions, we even made fewer sales than in other years… the fact that we are champions gives us a greater ability to retain players and talent.
“Coincidence or not, we have not had to sell any players in those times. Not that we have not received offers, but the market is not under our control, we are always dependent.”
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