It’s getting messier in Lisbon as Sporting president, Frederico Varandes has revealed that Sweden striker, Viktor Gyokeres will be punished for not showing up in preseason.
Softfootball can confirm that Gyokeres kept to his threat of not playing for the club anymore by deliberately missing Sporting Lisbon’s preseason training camp while his teammates began intense preparation ahead of the new season.
According to Skysport, Gyokeres was excused for the first part of Sporting’s preseason as the club asked him to resume on July 12 to enable him sought out his transfer.
However, since the deal didn’t work out he was expected to resume today but never showed up or gave a formal excuse on why he was absent from the preseason. Sporting president Varandas on Gyökeres not showing up for pre-season, he said:
“We’re calm. Everything can be solved with the closure of the market, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.
“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.”
Softfootball had reported earlier that Gyokeres boycotted training as he wants to force through a move to Arsenal this summer. The Gunners have seen two bids for the big Swede rejected by Sporting Lisbon as they insist on a higher fee.
Reports claim a bid in the region of €70million and €10 million in add-on would be enough but it remains to be seen if Arsenal would go in with a third bid for the striker.
Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 appearances for Sporting Lisbon last season as they went on to win the league title and still has three years left on his current after he joined the Portuguese club in 2023 from English side Coventry.
