Coventry City owner Doug King confident of keeping Viktor Gyokeres amid Sporting Lisbon interest
- Harry Whitfield
- 20 June 2023
Doug King says that Sporting Lisbon ‘had been in touch with the club’ but he remained confident that Viktor Gyokeres would stay.
Coventry City owner Doug King says he is feeling 'quite calm' despite the interest in the Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres pointing out that he still has a year left on his current deal.
Gyokeres joined Coventry permanently back in 2021 after a loan move from Brighton for a fee of around £1m.
In an interview with BBC, CWR King said: "I'm feeling quite calm - and Viktor is still contracted to Coventry City.
"Sporting Lisbon have been all over the pages, they have been in touch with the club.
"But it isn't up to Viktor Gyokeres to tell the club he's going somewhere for 50p. That is not how it works and won't happen in this situation."
In 46 appearances, Gyokeres managed to score 21 goals putting him second in the top scorers of the EFL Championship last season.
His goals helped push Coventry towards a play-off spot after a slow start and they reached the play-off final against Luton Town.
However, since Coventry's failure to reach the Premier League after defeat to Luton, Gyokeres has been the subject of interest from clubs such as Sporting, Everton and many more.
As King mentioned, Gyokeres is entering the last year of his deal, so cashing in before he leaves on a free would make sense.
Although, King appears not willing to encourage a move and instead said: "When a player moves, they have to agree their terms with a different club and the selling club have to agree on a compensation package.
"If both of those don't work, then nothing will happen."
What remains unclear is what fee the Sky Blues will demand for Gyokeres, even though his deal expires in the summer of 2024.
Reports lately suggest the fee could range from around £15m to £25m with both Everton and Sporting lining up formal bids soon.
What is clear is that King will not be bullied into selling the Swedish international cheaply despite their Championship status.
