Arsenal, Chelsea target makes transfer promise as 17-goal striker breaks silence on January Prem move | OneFootball

Arsenal and Chelsea linked Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres

Sporting Lisbon and Sweden stay Viktor Gyokeres has been asked about reported January interest in him from Premier League giants Arsenal and Chelsea.

The Portuguese outfit paid around €20m to sign Gyokeres from Coventry City in the summer after he grabbed 21 goals and 12 assists in the Championship last season.

Gyokeres has already proven himself to be a bargain for Sporting Lisbon. He is one of the most in-form strikers in Europe as he’s grabbed 17 goals and eight assists in just 20 appearances across all competitions.

Portuguese clubs love a release clause so it’s hardly a surprise that Sporting Lisbon inserted a €100m exit clause in Gyokeres’ contract when he joined them in the summer.

Sporting Lisbon stands to make a huge profit on their prized asset in the coming months as Arsenal and Chelsea are among the clubs interested in him ahead of January.

Sporting Lisbon have reportedly made it clear that Gyokeres will only leave if his release clause is activated. The 25-year-old meanwhile has indicated – despite interest from Premier League sides – that he is “very happy” where he is.

“I think it’s a bit like when Sporting came in to sign me… I’m very happy here and I don’t care about any interested parties at the moment,” Gyokeres said in an interview with Portuguese outlet Record.

“I’m enjoying every day here and not thinking about what’s going on around me. Yes, there’s talk of big clubs, but for now it’s just news. That’s all.”

When asked whether he could promise Sporting Lisbon supporters that he will stay until next summer at least, he added: “Yes. This is where I want to stay.”

Earlier this month, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano explained why he thinks Gyokeres is unlikely to sign for Arsenal or Chelsea in January.

“Both Arsenal and Chelsea have scouted Gyokeres, which is normal, but probably only the latter would have the financial muscle or some might say audacity, to move mid-season,” Romano told Caught Offside.

“But Gyokeres is not Chelsea’s top striker target. Victor Osimhen is still being explored, and Ivan Toney has divided opinion internally at Stamford Bridge but certainly some fans. Chelsea won’t make any final decision until right at the start of the window after they have seen Nkunku play a few games.

“Arsenal, much like with any pursuit of Joao Palhinha at Fulham, won’t spend a crazy fee in January but could be one side to watch for Gyokeres over the summer.”