Sporting president suggests Liverpool’s chances of signing Viktor Gyokeres are dead in the water

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Liverpool’s new striker search looks set to accelerate in July as they narrow down their targets.

The Reds can certainly improve up front after seeing Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota score just 11 Premier League goals between them last season.

There are options out there, and while Liverpool continue to pursue dream target Alexander Isak, they must accept that getting the Swede out of Newcastle will not be easy.

As a result, other players could still come into the picture. One who is ready for a step up on the back of a scarily good campaign is Sporting hitman Viktor Gyokeres.

Liverpool have been linked with Gyokeres over recent weeks, with suggestions that the 27-year-old could be an alternative to Sweden teammate Isak.

However, judging by the latest comments from Sporting president Frederico Varandas, we cannot now see a world in which Gyokeres ends up at Liverpool.

Sporting president looking for big Viktor Gyokeres fee

Judging by potency alone, there is an argument that Gyokeres is the player Liverpool should be looking at as their new number nine. The former Brighton man scored 54 goals last season.

After proving himself too good for the Portuguese league, there have been various reports that Gyokeres has a gentleman’s agreement with Sporting which could see him leave for £60m this summer.

However, speaking to O Jogo on Sunday, Varandas claimed with ‘absolute certainty’ that his club’s main man will not be going anywhere at that price.

“I won’t say what the amount is, it was communicated to the agent, the player knows,” said the president. “I can guarantee, with absolute certainty, that Viktor will not leave for 60+10 million euros [£60m]. It’s not about wanting to earn something, it’s just that he won’t leave, absolutely not.”

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While Varandas does go on to say that he expects Gyokeres to eventually exit and that Sporting will be fair in not demanding his full £85m release clause, this is surely too much for Liverpool to pay.

The Reds could afford Gyokeres, there’s no question about that, but they have been stung in paying a big fee for a prolific striker from the Portuguese league before. There’s little chance they make the same mistake again.

Where will Gyokeres go?

What should be pointed out as a counter to this argument is that unless Liverpool do manage to strike a deal for Isak, there are not loads of options out there for them in terms of a new striker.

There may be question marks over Gyokeres’ ability to translate his form to the Premier League, but if you slot him into a forward line with Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo, he would surely still get his goals.

Nevertheless, we simply cannot see Liverpool spending more than £60m here. If the Reds were sold on Gyokeres, you get the feeling they’d have moved quickly to head off the competition and bring him to Anfield.

The Sweden international could still make the Reds regret that, though. Gyokeres has been heavily linked with Arsenal and with the Gunners in even more need of a number nine than Liverpool, that could still be one to watch.

Gyokeres has been described as ‘unstoppable‘ by those who have played with him. If Arsenal do pay Sporting what they want, he could help them overturn Liverpool and win the Premier League. But even with that threat lingering, we don’t think the Reds will stand in their way. In terms of Gyokeres and Liverpool, this now looks dead in the water.