Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas has admitted that Viktor Gyökeres is likely to leave the club this summer.
Varandas said only the “worst agent in the world” could scupper a move away for the Sweden international, although he remained bullish on Sporting’s transfer fee demands, pointing to summer moves for Matheus Cunha and Martín Zubimendi as a benchmark that Manchester United and Arsenal must clear to secure his signature.
ESPN has previously reported that United and Arsenal are interested in Gyökeres, who scored 54 goals in 52 games in all competitions last season.
“If you ask me today, there is a strong possibility that Viktor will leave,” Varandas told Portuguese news outlet A Bola.
“In the last few weeks, we have been keeping an eye on the market, I saw a player like Zubimendi, who is six months younger than Viktor, go to Arsenal for €65 million ($76m).
“I saw two players being sold in the Premier League — Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo — forwards who do not have the quality of Viktor, in my opinion. [They] were sold for around €75 million. We are talking about players who are 26 years old.
“So, given the demands we make in relation to Viktor’s value, I believe he could leave, unless he has the worst agent in the world. Which I find hard to believe, because he is one of the best footballers in the world.”
Gyökeres is under contract with Sporting until June 2028 and has a release clause of €100m.