“We will release him for £86M” Manager warns Arsenal they must pay £86m to sign Haaland-like striker

Manager warns Arsenal they must pay £86m to sign Haaland-like striker

MANAGER WARNS ARSENAL THEY MUST PAY £86M TO SIGN HAALAND-LIKE STRIKER

Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim insists that Viktor Gyokeres will not be joining Arsenal in January unless the Premier League giants trigger the £86 million release clause in his contract.

Signing elite-level strikers in the winter window is usually a pretty difficult task, and things will be no different in 2024.

Brentford have already slapped a £100 million price-tag on Ivan Toney to ward off the likes of Arsenal. Even the most optimistic Gunners supporter would probably have to draw a line through Viktor Gyokeres’ name too, with Ruben Amorim insisting that any club looking to bring the former Coventry City talisman back to England will have to put their money where their mouth is.

Arsenal sent Viktor Gyokeres warning
FBL-POR-LIGA-SPORTING-AROUCA
Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images
“In relation to Gyokeres, there is a release clause. Especially in January, he will only leave through the release clause,” Amorim tells TVI. “So, if that happens, we won’t be able to do anything.”

Gyokeres fired Coventry to the Championship play-off final last season, and has translated his prolific form into Portuguese football. The powerhouse Swede – likened to Erling Haaland by former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray due to his fearsome combination of pace, power and predatory instincts – has 15 goals and seven assists in just 18 Sporting appearances.

Amorim has lost the likes of Matheus Nunes and Pedro Porro to Premier League clubs in previous windows. But he is confident of avoiding a repeat situation with Gyokeres under contract until the summer of 2028.

Mikel Arteta eyeing striker signing
“It is normal for clubs to pay attention to players in Portugal because they go abroad do great. So they know that the players in our league are prepared for the best leagues in the world,” Amorim adds.

“We have lost players that I thought would be very difficult to replace. Matheus, who was the one carrying the ball forward, and then there was Porro. Now, Viktor is the man who stands out the most.

“I don’t lose hours of sleep over this. I did in the past because there was this idea that we would have to sell as a club to survive. At the moment, there is no such thing. There is only paying the clause. When the clause is paid, the players have to leave.

“They will go to other leagues and we will find a solution.”

Manager warns Arsenal they must pay £86m to sign Haaland-like striker

MANAGER WARNS ARSENAL THEY MUST PAY £86M TO SIGN HAALAND-LIKE STRIKER

Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim insists that Viktor Gyokeres will not be joining Arsenal in January unless the Premier League giants trigger the £86 million release clause in his contract.

Signing elite-level strikers in the winter window is usually a pretty difficult task, and things will be no different in 2024.

Brentford have already slapped a £100 million price-tag on Ivan Toney to ward off the likes of Arsenal. Even the most optimistic Gunners supporter would probably have to draw a line through Viktor Gyokeres’ name too, with Ruben Amorim insisting that any club looking to bring the former Coventry City talisman back to England will have to put their money where their mouth is.

Arsenal sent Viktor Gyokeres warning
FBL-POR-LIGA-SPORTING-AROUCA
Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images
“In relation to Gyokeres, there is a release clause. Especially in January, he will only leave through the release clause,” Amorim tells TVI. “So, if that happens, we won’t be able to do anything.”

Gyokeres fired Coventry to the Championship play-off final last season, and has translated his prolific form into Portuguese football. The powerhouse Swede – likened to Erling Haaland by former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray due to his fearsome combination of pace, power and predatory instincts – has 15 goals and seven assists in just 18 Sporting appearances.

Amorim has lost the likes of Matheus Nunes and Pedro Porro to Premier League clubs in previous windows. But he is confident of avoiding a repeat situation with Gyokeres under contract until the summer of 2028.

Mikel Arteta eyeing striker signing
“It is normal for clubs to pay attention to players in Portugal because they go abroad do great. So they know that the players in our league are prepared for the best leagues in the world,” Amorim adds.

“We have lost players that I thought would be very difficult to replace. Matheus, who was the one carrying the ball forward, and then there was Porro. Now, Viktor is the man who stands out the most.

“I don’t lose hours of sleep over this. I did in the past because there was this idea that we would have to sell as a club to survive. At the moment, there is no such thing. There is only paying the clause. When the clause is paid, the players have to leave.

“They will go to other leagues and we will find a solution.”