Sporting CP reject €85m bid from Chelsea for Gyokeres

Sporting CP have reportedly rejected a massive offer from Chelsea for striker Viktor Gyokeres, according to reports from Record this morning.

The Premier League side is desperate to add goals to their team and submitted an offer worth €85 million, but the Portuguese giants rejected the proposal.

Sporting are demanding Gyokeres’ €100 million release clause to let him go in the winter window.

Gyokeres arrived in Portugal this summer after a stunning campaign in the Championship with Coventry City, in which he spearheaded them to the play-offs with 21 goals and 10 assists in 46 appearances.

The 25-year-old secured a €24 million move to Sporting and has taken Portugal by storm, notching 11 goals and eight assists in 16 games. He has three goals and an assist in five Europa League appearances. 

Chelsea need a centre-forward that can put the ball in the back of the net, and Gyokeres is on their shortlist alongside Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen.

However, a deal this winter window looks impossible. Gyokeres, Toney, and Osimhen are too expensive, and their clubs value them too highly to let them leave midway through the season.

The West Londoners also have FFP concerns after spending over £1 billion on new signings since the 2022 summer transfer window. They cannot go around shelling more ridiculous sums. 

Chelsea are better-served looking for a shrewd deal on the market, and they have been linked to two experienced strikers – Roberto Firmino and Karim Benzema.

The Blues are reportedly eyeing a deal for one of the two strikers as they have struggled to adapt to life in Saudi Arabia.

Firmino started with a bang, but the goals have dried up, with only three in 21 appearances. He looks a misfit and is reportedly keen on a return to Europe.

Benzema clashed with Nuno Espirito Santo before Al-Ittihad sacked him and has drawn the ire of new boss Marcelo Gallardo by not returning from a holiday in time. His time in the Middle East could be up if he keeps annoying the coaching staff.

It makes more sense for Chelsea to target one of these experienced names as a stop-gap solution before targeting a big-money signing in the summer, but they have shown that they have more money than sense these days.