Sporting Lisbon president Frederico Varandas has confirmed that Viktor Gyokeres will face disciplinary action after going on strike amid strong interest from Arsenal.
Gyokeres, 27, failed to report for the club’s pre-season training this week, despite Sporting having granted him an extended summer break until Saturday, July 12.
That patience has now run out, with Varandas vowing to hand the in-demand a ‘hefty fine’.
Gyokeres is thought to have agreed pre-contract terms with Arsenal, with the only remaining stumbling block in the way of a move to north London being his transfer fee.
The Gunners are yet to meet Sporting’s firm £69m valuation – but Varandas’ recent comments show that there are no signs of desperation from the Portuguese club.
‘We’re calm. Everything can be solved with the closure of the market, a hefty fine and an apology to the group,’ he told Portuguese news agency Lusa.
Sporting’s president confirmed that Viktor Gyokeres will face a ‘hefty fine’ for going on strike
Gyokeres failed to report for the club’s pre-season training this week as he seeks a move away
Arsenal have agreed pre-contract terms with the striker but must cough up £70m to sign him
‘If they don’t want to pay Viktor’s fair market value, we’ll be very comfortable with that for the next three years.
‘If the geniuses who are devising this strategy think that this puts pressure on me to make it easier for him to leave, not only are they completely wrong, but they are also making it more complicated for the player to leave.
‘No one is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are.’
Gyokeres scored a staggering 54 goals for Sporting last term across all competitions, and is rated as one of the most prolific forwards in Europe.
The former Coventry City and Brighton striker currently has three years still remaining on his contract with the Portuguese giants, though it appears unlikely in the extreme that he will be seeing out those terms as things stand.
Since making a £20m switch from Coventry to Sporting in 2023, Gyokeres has gone on a remarkable scoring spree in Portugal, netting 97 times in just 102 appearances across two seasons.
Gyokeres scored 43 goals for Coventry in his two and a half seasons, but never got to suit up in the Premier League for Brighton.
He has previously spoke of his desire to return to the English top flight, to get revenge for his empty spell with the Seagulls.
The Swedish international scored 54 goals for Sporting across all competitions last season
‘It’s one of the biggest leagues in Europe,’ Gyokeres said. ‘I spent several years there without being able to play a single match.
‘So, of course, it’s something I would like to do. It would be a great revenge.’
As reported by Mail Sport, Mikel Arteta had been keen to sign a new striker before his squad jets out to Singapore on July 19 to begin their tour of Asia.
But as it stands, Sporting seemingly hold all the cards and are more than happy to keep the Gunners waiting.
