Chelsea and Arsenal are the last two clubs remaining in the race to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon this summer.
Gyokeres produced a spectacular season for Sporting to score 43 goals in all competitions, with the Swedish striker winning the Bola de Prata as the Primeira Liga’s leading scorer.
Gyokeres’ goals fired Ruben Amorim’s side to the league title, while he weighed in with 15 assists during an extraordinary season of output at the Estádio José Alvalade.
A number of leading clubs have considered bids to sign the forward this summer with Chelsea and Arsenal still in the race.
Napoli had placed Gyokeres as a potential option, should Victor Osimhen leave amid interest from the Premier League and Paris Saint-Germain. However, sporting director Giovanni Manna has declared the club’s chances of signing Gyokeres “impossible”. Napoli are expected to pursue Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku should Osimhen, as expected, depart.
Football Transfers have claimed the battle to sign Gyokeres is a straight shootout between the London rivals, though neither side is prepared to match his release clause of €100m (£84m) and require sales before launching a move. Interest in Gyokeres from the Premier League duo remains high, however, if Sporting are prepared to negotiate on that fee.
Gyokeres was previously on the books of Brighton and scored 40 goals in 97 appearances for Coventry City before his €20m move to Portugal last summer.
