Chelsea are scouting 25-year-old Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres ahead of a potential move in the upcoming summer transfer window.
According to Record via Sport Witness, Chelsea are keen on reinforcing their attack ahead of next season. The Blues want to sign a top striker as they look to revive themselves, and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, a target for Arsenal, is one of the names on their radar.
The Portuguese club signed Gyokeres from Coventry City for €21 million ahead of the ongoing season. The 25-year-old has been in exceptional form since making the move. He has featured in a total of 39 matches for Sporting and has contributed towards 50 goals already.
He has found the back of the net on 36 occasions, and the Swedish international’s form in front of the goal has resulted in a lot of interest from across Europe. Chelsea are one of the clubs that have been keeping a close eye on him.
Chelsea are keen on Viktor Gyokeres
Mauricio Pochettino’s team struggled to score goals at the start of the season. While things have improved, the Blues are looking to sign a world-class number nine in the summer to help them take the next step and compete with the very best in the league.
Chelsea have already scouted him on multiple occasions. According to the report, representatives of the London club were in the stands to watch the 25-year-old in action for Sweden against Portugal. Gyokeres’s team might have lost, but he did put in an incredible shift and even found the back of the net.
It was Chelsea’s third scouting trip in as many months. And, it seems they are only picking big games to watch him in action as they were also present to see him square up against FC Porto and Benfica. Their recent trip was not just to take notes but rather to clear any doubts regarding a potential investment in him.
The €100m release clause & Arsenal’s interest
Chelsea are quite serious about their pursuit and they are sorting the final details as they look to table an offer in the summer. Sporting are unlikely to let him leave for anything less than his €100 million release clause. As a result, it will be interesting to see if the Blues are willing to big again.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have also been linked with him. Mikel Arteta is not happy with the output of his forwards and wants a new striker in his ranks. The Swedish international is one of their targets and they could make things difficult for the Blues.
He is playing in the Portuguese league with teams that would not be expected to make the grade in the premier league apart from the Portuguese top 4 teams. So I would really only judge his goals per 90 minutes scored when facing the top 4 Portuguese teams and of course include European and international games. You might find the his goals per 90 scored percentage drops considerably. Don’t forget the he played for Coventry and was pretty average at best. I can see a team gambling by paying over £40 million for him, but £80 million is just laughable and the sort of money a desperate side like Chelsea would probably pay.