Why Juventus gave up on signing Viktor Gyökeres

Juventus has decided to stop trying to sign Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting Lisbon. The club was very interested in the Swedish striker, especially with the possible departure of Dusan Vlahovic and doubts about Randal Kolo Muani’s future. But now, the transfer seems unlikely to happen.

Gyökeres, who is 27 years old, was said to have an agreement with Juventus to join after the Club World Cup. But Sporting Lisbon’s president said even an offer of €60 million plus €10 million in bonuses wouldn’t be enough to buy the player. That price is too high for Juventus.

Gyökeres didn’t like this news. He even removed all mentions of Sporting Lisbon from his Instagram profile, showing that he’s unhappy. But the president also said no team has made an official offer yet  even though Gyökeres has scored 68 goals in 66 matches.

With Juventus stepping back, another club is ready to move  Arsenal. Since Benjamin Šeško may leave for Saudi Arabia, Arsenal could now focus on Gyökeres. That would make it even harder for Juventus to get him.

Even though the Gyökeres deal is off, Juventus is still looking to improve their attack. They want to be ready in case Vlahovic leaves, and they need more options up front.