Chelsea and Arsenal are two Premier League giants reportedly keen on signing a striker this summer, and according to the latest rumors, both clubs are eyeing the same man.
That player is Sporting CP goalscoring machine Viktor Gyokeres, the striker who has scored 36 goals and assisted an additional 14 in his debut season with the Portuguese giants.
The Lions are currently top of the Primeira Liga table thanks to his exploits in front of goal, and as a result, several European giants have taken notice. This is a meteoric rise for the Swedish striker as only a year ago he was at Championship club Coventry.
Unfortunately, the player has a hefty release clause in his contract rumored to be worth $109M. If that was not bad enough, a recent report from Record claims that Sporting CP want to hand their striker a new deal with an even higher release clause worth $130M.
Gyokeres' position on this matter remains unclear. Signing this new deal would make a Primeira Liga exit exceptionally difficult for the 25-year-old and when quizzed on the transfer rumors, the Swedish ace gave a coy response.
There were doubts whether the aforementioned London clubs could afford Gyokeres' current release clause, let alone the new one Sporting CP wish to add to his contract. Despite being one of the richest clubs in world football, many financial experts predict Chelsea will breach the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules while Arsenal are facing financial constraints of their own after another heavy summer spending spree.
Despite this, both teams are in need of a clinical forward. The Blues have spent billions on their squad yet are without a reliable goalscorer. The Gunners, on the other hand, have spent considerably less and while the North London giants have scored more goals than any other club as a collective, Arteta lacks a talisman goalscorer.
Victor Osimhen has also been linked with the London sides, but as is the case with Gyokeres, the Nigerian superstar also has a hefty release clause.
