Everton dealt blow as Viktor Gyokeres ‘packing his bags’ for Sporting CP move with bid tabled to Coventry City
Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres is already “packing his bags” ahead of a £17.2m move to Sporting CP in a major blow to Everton hopes according to Record.
The Toffees have been linked with a move for the 25-year-old Sweden international who was one of the top scorers in the Championship during the 2022/23 season, having a bid rejected already (O Jogo, 28 June).
But Sporting have now sent an offer of €18m plus €2m in bonuses and a percentage of future sales to sign him, and according to Record (29 June) a deal is now “imminent” for him to head to Portugal rather than Merseyside.
Blow
Sean Dyche knows he needs a big striker who can be relied upon to score goals regularly in the Premier League, and Gyokeres is a good shout for that.
But Sporting can offer European football and regular football too, which obviously makes them a far more attractive option than us right now considering our recent performances and the state of our squad.
With the summer window well underway and pre-season expected to start next week, the club have made no moves in the off-season so far to strengthen the squad and that will be frustrating for Dyche and fans.
Domininc Calvert-Lewin is still the first-choice striker at the club but his fitness issues have been and will continue to be a real concern this season, meaning reinforcements are needed.
Gyokeres looked like a perfect option, but it’s now done and the club will have to start their search all over again as the clock continues to tick down towards the start of the new campaign.
In other Everton news, fresh twist shared with first-team ace in advanced talks to leave the club.