Everton transfer news as Viktor Gyokeres puts brakes on Goodison Park move
Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres has reportedly put the brakes on a move to Everton, according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo.
The Sky Blues hotshot has been heavily linked with a number of Premier League sides including the Toffees, Burnley, Wolves and West Ham after a sensational 22/23 campaign where he notched an outstanding 21 goals and 12 assists in the Championship.
Gyokeres is also attracting interest from Portugal too with Sporting making him a top transfer target and according to O Jogo newspaper [28 June, page 9], Everton had a bid for the Swede rejected making Sporting the likely favourites for his signature.
In a new report provided by the Portuguese outlet [29 June, page 8], Gyokeres has seemingly put the brakes on a move to the Premier League and favours a move to join the Portuguese giants instead.
“The player liked the Leonine approach and, from the first hour, expressed his desire to head to Alvalade, in the wake of some Premier League clubs, such as Burnley who, in recent days presented a very appealing proposal to Coventry.
“West Ham, Wolves and Everton have tried to secure the striker, but he has put the brakes by reiterating his preference.”
A real shame
It’s a real shame to see Gyokeres prefer a move to Portugal than the Premier League, because he certainly seemed ready for the English promised land.
21 goals and 12 assists in the Championship last season was always going to attract heavy interest and such a record had all the makings of a man ready to take the English top-flight by storm.
However, it seems as if Sporting have their man which is a huge blow for Everton as Gyokeres could well have represented a statement signing and been the game-changing striker proposition they always needed.
Everton desperately needed a goalscoring striker all of last season, having sold Richarlison to Tottenham for £60m last summer and boasted the second-worst record (34) in the division for goals scored.
With Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s struggles for fitness for much of the campaign and Neal Maupay’s failure to set Goodison Park alight since his move from Brighton last summer, the Blues will be prioritising a move for a quality number nine this summer.
But that player certainly won’t be Gyokeres. It’s time to move on to other targets.
In Everton news, Alan Myers has shared a major update on Sean Dyche’s future after a development over his sacking has emerged over the past few days.