Where will Viktor Gyökeres be playing his football next season? | OneFootball

Current Sporting CP hitman Viktor Gyökeres is perhaps the most coveted striker in all of Europe at the moment. Throughout the course of the 2024/25 season, the Sweden international has been in blistering form, netting 44 goals in as many games.

His goal output this term is the best in the entire continent, ahead of the likes of Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski, and that has been a common theme throughout his two-year stint in Lisbon.

Gyökeres’ time with Sporting

When Sporting forked out a club record €20m to English Championship side Coventry City to secure Gyökeres’ services in the summer of 2023, plenty of eyebrows were raised. The Swede was certainly impressive, bagging 21 goals in 46 league games and leading the Sky Blues to the brink of promotion. However, €20m for a striker unproven at the top level had fans scratching their heads.

Well, not anymore. Throughout his two years with the club, Gyökeres has proven to be a revelation. He has scored a mighty 87 goals in 94 appearances for the Lions, leading them to the Liga Portugal title last season.

This term, despite a major rough spell following the departure of manager Rúben Amorim to Manchester United, online oddsmakers think that Sporting looks well set once again. Soccer odds providers currently make the reigning champions a 2.37 second-favourite to make it two titles on the spin this season, narrowly behind 1.57 favourites Benfica. It is the favourites who currently hold the lead in the standings, sitting two points clear of their cross-city rivals. However, if Gyökeres continues to score goals at his current rate, anything is possible, and a famous title defence – the first for the club since its golden era in the 1950s – could well be on the cards. With six games remaining Benfica may be leading, but Sporting play Benfica in the penultimate match of the season, which could well be the title decider. Keep an eye on the soccer odds to see how all this unfolds.

However, once the current campaign ends, with or without the title, Gyökeres’ future will be the only topic on the cards at the Estádio José Alvalade. So, the obvious question is this: Where will he end up?

Arsenal

Arsenal’s hunt for a striker has been well-documented. Over the course of the last three years, they have forked over €130m on two proven hitmen who they thought would be the answer to their problems, namely Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz. But despite their trophy-laden spells with Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, neither of them has proven to be the answer to the misfiring Gunners’ problems in front of goal.

They have combined to score just 40 goals in 128 games for the club, and as if their inconsistency in front of the goal wasn’t enough, they have both proven to be injury-prone. This year, Arsenal were on the hunt for major honours both in the Premier League and in the Champions League. However, following the closure of the January transfer window, both of their marquee strikers were crocked with season-ending injuries, forcing manager Mikel Arteta to deploy defensive midfielder Mikel Merino in a makeshift striker role.

The Gunners are thought to be wanting to cut ties with one – if not both – of their first-team strikers this summer. Even if they don’t, they have already been rumoured to be on the hunt for Gyökeres’ signature, and they may well get it.

Manchester United

Another club in dire need of a new striker is Manchester United. The Red Devils have slumped to lows not seen in decades this season, languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table and set for their worst league finish since 1990. They were thought to be interested in Galatasaray loanee Victor Osimhen, but the addition of former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim has opened the door to bringing in Gyökeres.

His arrival sparked quite a bit of excitement, with Bodog tweeting about it back in November - so will Gyökeres follow him?

Amorim was the man who initially raised those eyebrows two years ago and stumped up the club record fee to sign the mercurial Swede. Two years on and his show of faith in the former Coventry City man has been rewarded with the striker’s goalscoring exploits. Now, they could well be set for a link-up at Old Trafford.

Knowing Amorim, Gyökeres will be the striker he wants above all others. His 3-4-3 formation requires a specific type of player, hence why the Swede was taken to Lisbon in the first place. The Portuguese boss knew that the 26-year-old would fit the bill and he did. Now, he is required to play the same role at the Theatre of Dreams.

Remain with Sporting

Of course, it’s a long shot, but there is still a distant possibility that Gyökeres could remain at the Estádio José Alvalade. The Swede is contracted to remain at the club until the summer of 2028 and is thought to have a release clause set at €100m. If no-one triggers that release clause, then Sporting won’t be obliged to sell.

But after Gyökeres’ exploits for the club, it’s not expected that they would stand in his way should he choose to leave. If captain and club icon Bruno Fernandes and manager Amorim both wanted to leave for the bright lights of Manchester United, and there’s a very real chance that the club’s current hero could follow them out the door.