Liverpool and Arsenal are both in the hunt for a new striker this summer and a European giant has dropped out of the race to sign one of their targets.
Both Premier League sides will have their sights set on a title challenge next season.
Mikel Arteta will hope it is third time lucky for his Gunners against Manchester City while Arne Slot will look to pick up where Jurgen Klopp left off at Anfield.
But both of their title challenges appear to be missing one crucial piece of the puzzle – a deadly and reliable striker.
Manchester City can rely on Erling Haaland to fire them to glory while both Liverpool and Arsenal are lacking a front-man they can rely on.
Both clubs have therefore highlighted Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres as a striker target this summer after his superb season in Portugal.
HITC understands that Gyokeres could now be sold this summer for less than his release clause of £75-£80million.
European giant out of the race for Viktor Gyokeres
Gyokeres has attracted interest from a host of clubs in the Premier League with Tottenham and Chelsea also watching the 26-year-old in action in recent months.
Manchester United also retained an interest but they have solved their striker search with Joshua Zirkzee‘s move now official.
Serie A giants Napoli have also been linked with a move, but the club’s sporting director Giovanni Manna has revealed that a move is now “impossible”.
As quoted by O Jogo, Napoli’s director responded to questions from fans about a deal by saying “Viktor Gyokeres? Impossible.”
Viktor Gyokeres is a ‘really special’ talent
While Napoli may be out of the race for Gyokeres this summer, Sporting Lisbon are still bound to have a handful of offers arrive on their desk for their star striker.
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It is no surprise that he is on the shopping list of multiple Champions League clubs after scoring 29 goals in Liga Portugal last season.
He is admired by current Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, who said he has “really special skills” after reaching 50 goals and assists last season.
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