Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas has insisted that Viktor Gyökeres will face fines after he went on strike Saturday and refused to report to preseason training.
ESPN reported on Monday that Gyökeres was close to a move to Arsenal after a breakthrough in talks with Sporting. He has also been subject to interest from Manchester United this summer, although they have prioritised a move for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.
Sources told ESPN that Gyökeres had agreed personal terms with Arsenal over a five-year deal after the club’s sporting director Andrea Berta flew out to Portugal for direct talks.
However, reports in Portugal suggest that talks have since stalled and the latest update came on Saturday when Gyökeres failed to check-in for preseason training.
Varandas said Gyökeres’s decision could strengthen the club’s resolve to hold out for their desired transfer fee.
“We’re calm,” Varandas told Portuguese news agency Lusa. “Everything can be solved with the closure of the market, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.
“If they don’t want to pay Viktor’s fair market value, we’ll be very comfortable with that for the next three years.
“If the geniuses who are devising this strategy think that this puts pressure on me to make it easier for him to leave, not only are they completely wrong, but they are also making it more complicated for the player to leave.
“No one is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are.”
