Sporting Vice-President provides update on Arsenal bid for Viktor Gyökeres

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Sporting CP vice-president Francisco Salgado Zenha has confirmed the club has yet to receive any formal offers for in-demand striker Viktor Gyökeres, insisting the Portuguese champions will not be forced into selling their star players this summer.

Gyökeres, 26, has emerged as one of Europe’s hottest transfer targets following a sensational season in which he scored over 50 goals across all competitions. Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs linked with a potential move for the Swedish forward, who is expected to attract significant interest once the transfer window opens.

Despite the mounting speculation, Zenha has made it clear that Sporting are under no financial pressure to cash in on the striker and remain intent on retaining their top talent.

“He has three more years on his contract,” Zenha told reporters in Portugal. “At the moment, there are no offers. I think the answer has been given.”

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Zenha also reaffirmed the club’s transfer stance, pointing to Sporting’s recent domestic success as a reason to hold firm in the face of interest from Europe’s elite.

“Our transfer strategy won’t change from last year. We want to keep the best players and retain talent,” he said. “We want to continue being champions, field competitive teams and fight on all fronts.”

The Sporting executive added that in past title-winning campaigns, the club made fewer sales, using their success as leverage to keep the squad intact.

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“In the years when Sporting were champions, we even made fewer sales than in other years,” Zenha noted. “Being champions gives us a greater ability to retain players and talent. Not that we haven’t received offers, but the market isn’t fully in our control.”

Gyökeres himself remained tight-lipped when asked about his future during a recent interview, saying: “We’ll see. It’s football—you never know what can happen. It’s impossible to say anything for sure. I don’t know anything. I tried to focus on the last few games. If something is true, we’ll see.”

It is understood that any club looking to secure the striker’s services would need to trigger his release clause, believed to be around £60 million. While interest continues to build, Sporting are determined to maintain a strong negotiating position ahead of what could be a defining summer in Lisbon.

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