Liverpool have reportedly ‘made checks’ on a prolific striker who was one of Europe’s highest scorers last season.
Viktor Gyokeres netted 43 times in all competitions as Sporting Lisbon regained the Primeira Liga title, and the ex-Coventry marksman unsurprisingly has a lofty £85m release clause in his contract (HITC).
As per an update on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing on Wednesday morning, the Swedish centre-forward is inevitably attracting attention from a number of clubs in the Premier League and across Europe.
It was claimed that ‘Liverpool are also understood to have made checks on him earlier in the summer, though a new striker is not currently thought to be a priority for the Reds’.
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As outlined in The Athletic today, Liverpool have money to spend this summer and will very likely enter the transfer market before the 30 August deadline, so it’s not unthinkable that they could go big on a swoop for Gyokeres.
His goal tally last season speaks for itself – it equalled the combined return of the Reds’ top two scorers Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez, albeit in a slightly weaker domestic league than England’s top flight – and he was hailed as ‘extraordinary‘ by Estoril de Praia coach Vasco Seabra earlier this year.
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However, as was outlined in The Daily Briefing, centre-forward isn’t a priority position for LFC in the current transfer window, with other areas of the squad (centre-back, defensive midfielder, winger) set to be higher on the wish list.
That said, Liverpool have a history for being opportunistic in the market when the right moment presents itself, and they may be encouraged by reports that Sporting would be willing to accept offers which come in slightly under Gyokeres’ £85m release clause (HITC).
It’s not a deal that we expect Richard Hughes to pull off between now and the end of August, but if the Reds were to suddenly spring for the prolific 26-year-old, it’d have the makings of a shrewd piece of business.
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