Revealed: How Viktor Gyokeres' relationship with Sporting CP broke down last year as striker accuses club of 'leaking' surgery reports to dampen transfer interest

The relationship between Gyokeres and his club has become increasingly strained in recent weeks, as speculation about the forward's future hots up. Now, a new potential starting point for the rift has emerged, with reports from the Swedish publication Sportbladet suggesting that inside sources leaked rumours about Gyokeres' surgery in order to dissuade potential suitors from trying to sign him.

Revealing how the rift came about, the sports paper wrote that in May 2024, Gyokeres had minor knee surgery and it was agreed it would be kept quiet, "But the day after the player and his representatives had a meeting with the club, it was leaked to Portuguese media that the procedure had been performed." It's been suggested that the purpose of the leak was to put off clubs interested in signing the Swede last summer.

The Swedish forward has been in unstoppable form for Sporting, scoring an incredible 54 goals in 52 games across the 2024/25 season. His performances have understandably led to plenty of interest from other clubs, but delays over a potential move to a bigger outfit — with sides like Arsenal, Juventus and Chelsea all supposedly interested — have caused frustration, while Sporting hiking the fee they are willing to let him go for from £60 million ($81.5m) to £70m ($95m) has also annoyed Gyokeres.

The situation has become messy and the 26-year-old clearly needs a fresh start, but whether these recent complications will have a negative impact on interest from suitors remains to be seen. Arsenal's desperate need for a prolific out-and-out striker means they are likely to continue pursuing their man, but they may need to fight off interest from other clubs too.