Latest news with #Varandas
Daily Mirror
20-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal: Legal letter issued as transfer saga grows bitter after Man Utd bid
Viktor Gyokeres is being pursued by Arsenal and Manchester United and his relationship with Sporting Lisbon has crumbled in the past few weeks amid competing agendas Viktor Gyokeres' difficult and prolonged exit from Sporting Lisbon continues to get even more bitter after the striker sent a legal letter to his employers. Gyokeres will leave Sporting in the summer transfer window, but the question of what his legacy will be like once he departs remains to be seen amid a war of words. Arsenal and Sporting have verbally agreed a deal in principle worth an initial £55million plus £8.6m in add-ons and bonuses for Gyokeres. But Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta and Sporting chiefs have so far failed to yield a full agreement over the make-up of the fees. That has potentially opened the door for Manchester United, who have submitted their own bid at the last moment in an effort to hijack the move. Reports in Portugal state that United have tabled their own offer worth €70-80million (£60-69m) as they try to get a reunion for Ruben Amorim and his former Sporting striker. It remains to be seen whether United's last-gasp effort comes to fruition, but one thing is for sure: Gyokeres has burned his bridges at Sporting. The 27-year-old striker has been desperate to get his exit sealed and has been willing to go to war with Sporting president Federico Varandas in order to get what he wants. The two have been trading barbs through the Portuguese press throughout the summer, with the main conflict centred upon a supposed gentleman's agreement they had. Gyokeres feels Varandas had agreed to let him go if a buyer stumped up €60m plus €10m, but the club chief has rejected that ever happened. Gyokeres has since gone on strike and is refusing to turn up for pre-season training with Sporting, saying he will never play for them again. Sporting have therefore begun disciplinary proceedings against their striker. Record now say that Gyokeres has, via his legal representatives, issued a legal letter in response. It states his case that Varandas is to blame for his absence because he has gone back on his word. It's a messy situation that has come about because the Portuguese club are trying to get the best fee possible for their star. He is under contract until June 2028 and Varandas has been happy to play hard ball in negotiations – and make his stance plain in public. 'If they don't want to pay Viktor's fair market value, we're very comfortable with that for the next three years," he said recently. "This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are. We're calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.' He added: "One thing you should already know is me better. Threats, blackmail and insults don't work with me. "I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for €60m+10m because I never promised him that. This game that the agent is playing only makes the situation worse. To this day, Sporting has not had an offer for Viktor Gyokeres, neither today nor last season." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Metro
14-07-2025
- Business
- Metro
How Arsenal made final breakthrough in Viktor Gyokeres transfer saga
Arsenal have finally come to an agreement with Sporting to sign Viktor Gyokeres, but it took a lot of negotiation to get there. The future of the Swedish striker has been one of the transfer sagas of the summer so far, with a number of clubs pursuing his signature. The former Coventry City star had plenty of options in front of him, including Manchester United, Juventus and a move to Saudi Arabia, but for some time Arsenal have led the race to sign him. However, despite being the player's first choice and other clubs seemingly giving up on the Gyokeres race, it was not plain sailing for the Gunners. Sporting were sticking to their guns on a transfer fee and even though the striker went on strike, the deal appeared to be on the rocks, with club president Frederico Varandas sounding very unhappy about how things were progressing. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Sunday saw a breakthrough, though, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting what happened over two meetings to finally agree a deal. Arsenal will pay an initial fee of €63.5m (£55m) plus €10m (£8.6m) in add-ons for the 27-year-old. That fee is actually less than the €70million (£60.2m) in an initial fee which Sporting were reportedly holding out for during negotiations. A crucial breakthrough came as agents involved agreed to reduce their commission from Sporting from 10 per cent. Romano reports that Arsenal will pay the player's agent some of that commission instead of Sporting, which will make the final deal for Gyokeres a little higher than the transfer fee suggests. It is a significant turnaround as it was only over the weekend that Varandas hit out at seemingly everyone involved in trying to do the Gyokeres deal. 'If the geniuses who are devising this strategy think this puts pressure on me to facilitate an exit, they are not only completely wrong but are also making the player's exit conditions even more complicated,' Varandas said. 'No one is above the interests of the club, whoever they are. 'If they don't want to pay for Viktor fair market value, we are perfectly comfortable with this for the next three years [the time left on Gyokeres' contract]. 'We are calm about all this. Everything can be resolved with a market closure, a heavy fine, and an apology to the group.' Gyokeres made it clear he wants another crack at the Premier League after failing to make an impact there last time he was in England. More Trending The Swede was at Brighton from 2018-21 but never made a Premier League appearance, before leaving for Coventry. Few would have predicted his career path from there on in, but now he says he is motivated by revenge. 'It's one of the biggest leagues in Europe,' Gyokeres told France Football. '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.' MORE: Real Madrid set new transfer fee for Liverpool and Arsenal to sign Rodrygo MORE: Arsenal to make new £17m bid after completing Noni Madueke transfer MORE: Marcus Rashford rejects £35m transfer offer to leave Manchester United
India Today
13-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Viktor Gyokeres threatened with fines by Sporting chief after pre-season no-show
Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas has criticised striker Viktor Gyokeres for failing to report to pre-season training, warning that the Swedish international will face disciplinary consequences for his absence. The striker is believed to be angling for a move away from the club amid interest from several Premier League who scored 54 goals in the 2024-25 season, was expected to join up with Sporting's pre-season preparations ahead of the new season. Despite being granted an extended break, the 27-year-old has not reported to the club, leading to speculation that he is pushing for a transfer. Arsenal are amongst the clubs linked with the forward, while a reunion with former manager Ruben Amorim who is now at Manchester United, has also been to the Lusa news agency, Varandas made it clear that Sporting would not be strong-armed into selling their top scorer and would take disciplinary action if necessary. 'We're calm. Everything will be resolved with the closing of the market, a heavy fine, and an apology to the group,' he went on to stress that Gyokeres remains under contract for the next three years, giving the club full control over his future. Varandas also pushed back against the idea that public pressure or behind-the-scenes tactics would impact Sporting's stance.'If the geniuses who are devising this strategy think that this puts pressure on me to facilitate the exit, they are not only completely wrong but are also making the player's exit even more complicated. No one is above the club's interests, whoever they may be.'Since joining from Coventry City in 2023, Gyokeres has established himself as one of Europe's most prolific strikers, scoring 97 goals in 102 appearances and helping Sporting win back-to-back Primeira Liga titles. His form has made him a hot commodity, but Sporting remain firm in their valuation and are unwilling to accept anything less than what they believe is fair market now, Sporting are continuing their pre-season schedule and will play Celtic in a friendly match on Wednesday. Whether Gyokeres rejoins the squad or escalates his push for a transfer remains to be seen, but the club's leadership has made it clear that discipline and order will come before any player's personal ambitions.- Ends
Daily Mirror
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Viktor Gyokeres handed two punishments by Sporting chief after 'strike'
Sporting CP's pre-season preparations have got underway without Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres who did not turn up when requested and is now in hot water with the Portuguese club Victory Gyokeres will be slapped with a significant fine and forced to apologise to his team-mates after failing to return for Sporting CP's pre-season preparations, says the club's president. Frederico Varandas has spoken out and suggested they remain under no pressure to permit Gyokeres to leave on the cheap. The Sweden international has been adamant he will leave Lisbon this summer and resolved to go on strike amid a dispute over the transfer fee he will be permitted to depart for. Sporting chief Varandas noted when the threat emerged that he would not be blackmailed, in an explosive statement. But, after being required to come back late for pre-season, Gyokeres did not arrive on Saturday in time for his side's training camp. The squad departed for Lagos without the 50-goal striker after players were asked to report for 4:30pm on Saturday. Now, Gyokeres, who is said to have already agreed personal terms with Arsenal, faces disciplinary action. And Sporting do not appear willing to allow the player's decision to ease their own negotiations with the Gunners which have already required a cooling off period. 'If they don't want to pay Viktor's fair market value, we're very comfortable with that for the next three years," said Varandas of suitors of the star striker who is tied down until 2028. "This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are. 'We're calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group'. In an interview released earlier in the day on Saturday, Gyokeres spoke of his desire to return to the Premier League to prove his former team Brighton wrong. The Swede did not feature in the division however. "I only think about scoring and winning. It changes everything," Gyokeres said. "Premier League? I spent several years there without being able to play a single match. So, of course, it's something I'd like to do. It would be great revenge!". Despite seemingly planning to go on strike when the interview was conducted, Gyokeres suggested he was not thinking about his exit. "The future? That's football, you never know. I'm not thinking about that [leaving], we'll see what happens. If something is meant to happen, it will. "The most important thing for me is to play for a club that really wants me." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Arsenal and Man United 'given boost in pursuit of Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres as Portuguese club grant wantaway star extended break'
Viktor Gyokeres has reportedly been given some extra time off this summer with his future yet to be resolved. Arsenal and Manchester United are both reportedly interested in signing the Sweden international, who has scored 97 goals in 102 matches in two seasons in Portugal. He is believed to have contacted Sporting president Frederico Varandas to demand a transfer but Sporting's valuation remains an issue. Gyokeres is said to have believed that he reached a gentleman's agreement with Sporting last summer that would see the Portuguese league champions accept a fee around €70million (£60m), including add-ons, at the end of the 2024-25 season. However, Sporting are now appearing to hold out for a significantly increased fee - with Gyokeres having a €100m (£84m) release clause in his current contract. The 27-year-old was seen enjoying his holidays on the Greek island of Mykonos this past week with Sporting's pre-season preparations set to begin on Tuesday. However, The Sun claim he has been told that he can return on July 7, meaning more time to negotiate with his Premier league admirers. Despite Gyokeres' apparent agitation for a move, Varandas accused his team of attempting to 'blackmail' Sporting, while he reportedly threatened to go on strike after vowing to 'speak at the right time'. Now Gyokeres has made his thoughts clear to Varandas in a phone call, where he told him he wants to join Arsenal and should be allowed to after 'giving everything for the club,' according to Portuguese publication Record. The report claims that the Swede will refuse to return to Lisbon and will 'never forgive those responsible' if a move to Arsenal breaks down. Arsenal are also exploring options over the signing of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who is believed to be sporting director Andrea Berta's preferred option over Gyokeres. Sources close to the club suggest that Sporting Lisbon's keenness to offload Gyokeres has become clearer by the day and arguably weakened their hand as they hold out for their valuation.
