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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Matt Verri

Viktor Gyokeres dismisses talk of big-money January move amid Chelsea transfer interest

Viktor Gyokeres has dismissed talk of a January transfer away from Sporting, amid rumours linking him with a move to Chelsea.

The 25-year-old striker joined the Portuguese side in the summer from Coventry for a club-record fee in the region of £20million, and it's suggested that he now has an £87m release clause in his contract.

Another big-money move for Gyokeres would be good news for Coventry, with the Championship side reportedly having a 15% sell-on clause.

Chelsea are among the clubs believed to be keeping tabs on Gyokeres, as they push to sign a striker in January after a frustrating start to the season. The Blues have managed just 31 goals in their first 19 Premier League games, with summer signing Nicolas Jackson yet to impress.

Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney are high-profile targets but neither will come cheap, while RB Leipzig Benjamin Sesko has also been touted as a possible option.

Gyokeres would prove expensive if he were to leave Sporting mid-season, but the Swedish forward has insisted he is not thinking about leaving the club just six months after arriving.

"I think it’s a bit like when Sporting came in to sign me," he told Record.

"I’m very happy here and I don’t care about any interested parties at the moment. I’m enjoying every day here and not thinking about what’s going on around me. Yes, there’s talk of big clubs, but for now it’s just news. That’s all."

Pressed directly on whether he was able to assure Sporting fans that he will not leave in January, Gyokeres added: "Yes. This is where I want to stay."

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