- Chelsea have reportedly made a huge bid for Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres
- Their offer for the ex-Coventry man has been rejected by the Portuguese side
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Chelsea have had a £73million offer for Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres rejected, according to reports.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men have struggled in front of goal this term, with their 35 goals in 21 league games making them the third-lowest scorers in the top half of the Premier League.
They have been linked with bringing in a striker this month – despite spending over £1bn over the past three transfer windows under Todd Boehly – with Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen emerging as potential targets.
However, they now appear to have turned their attention to Gyokeres, only to have an €85m (£73m) bid knocked back by Sporting, as reported by Portuguese outlet Record.
The report states Gyokeres has a release clause of €100m (£86m), and Chelsea’s offer falls comfortably short of this valuation.
The Blues also look set to be thwarted in their pursuit of Gyokeres as the player wants to stay at Sporting until the summer after only joining the Portuguese giants last year.
Gyokeres got his move to Sporting in July after thriving at Championship side Coventry last season.
He scored 21 league goals to help the Sky Blues into the play-off final, but they suffered Wembley heartbreak as they lost on penalties to Luton after the game finished 1-1 following extra time.
He has picked up where he left off in England by starring for Sporting in the opening months of the current campaign.
The 25-year-old has netted 11 times and registered seven assists in 16 top-flight appearances, and has 20 goals across all competitions in 2023-24.
After having their initial approach knocked back and with Gyokeres wanting to remain at Sporting, Chelsea may now need to look for alternatives to fix their goalscoring woes as they aim to finish the season strongly after an inconsistent first half of the campaign.
Summer signing Nicolas Jackson has struggled to convince at Stamford Bridge and is currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, while Christopher Nkunku has been limited to just one league start due to multiple injury setbacks, leaving Chelsea short of options up front.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
