Viktor Gyokeres is perfect for Arne Slot's Liverpool - Michael Edwards should pay the release clause now
On Tuesday evening, Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres bagged his first goal in the Champions League.
Dancing inside the box, the Swedish international managed to fashion out a chance for himself, swivelling in the area with three touches before firing home past Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who could do nothing to prevent Gyokeres from scoring. It was a strikers finish, one that showed just why so many clubs are interested in the former Coventry star.
Since his move to Coventry on a permanent deal back in 2021 from Brighton, Gyokeres has done nothing but score goal after goal. Following two impressive campaigns in the Championship, where he nearly led Coventry to the Premier League, Gyokeres moved to Sporting last summer.
In his first season in Portugal, the 26-year-old bagged an astonishing 43 goals in 50 games for Sporting. This season, he has continued his stellar form, scoring 12 goals and registered five assists for club and country - with teams across Europe already circling around the Swede. Arsenal reportedly hold Gyokeres in very high regard, and looked into signing him last summer. But Liverpool.com believe Liverpool should now go all out to land the Swedish striker, and make him the new face of Arne Slot's side moving forward.
Previously, it has been reported Gyokeres has a $111m (£83m/€100m) release fee clause in his contract, which proved to be a stumbling block for some clubs this past summer. "Yes, the release clause into my contract is high but I’m happy at Sporting," Gyokeres said via Fabrizio Romano. "I had no problems when I had to stay here for one more season. My value is there and that’s it now, we will see when something happens."
However, it has also been claimed Gyokeres may be available at a cheaper price in January, or in the summer by FootballTransfers, something which could interest Liverpool did not bring in another out and out striker this past transfer window. Liverpool opted to stick with Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez as their two central striking options, with Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz providing cover on the left while Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa operate off the right.
With Nunez's first two seasons at Anfield having been a disappointment, and with Jota seemingly unable to stay fit for a full season, signing a striker next summer will likely be something Liverpool explore. Additionally, with Salah's contract up, alongside the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Reds could look to make Gyokeres the face of their new era under Slot, should they not be able to either convince, or offer the trio new deals.
Comparisons with Nunez will of course be made when it comes to Gyokeres, who is also 6ft2in, due to them both having starred in Portugal for Benfica and Sporting respectively. However, Gyokeres looks to be a more well-rounded, complete forward compared to Nunez, who Slot doesn't seem to fancy this term.
Of course, for Liverpool to go out and pay the fee for Gyokeres, they would also likely have to move on a player from their stacked forward line, which could see Nunez depart next summer despite the huge fee the Reds paid for him back in 2022. However, the Reds cannot afford to miss out on a player like Gyokeres if they do retain an interest in him.
Liverpool.com says: "It might be a lot of money to pay, but the reality is strikers are always going to cost big fees. At 26, Gyokeres looks to be close to the peak of his powers and could really help the Reds kick on under Arne Slot. He could be the new face of the Slot era at Anfield, especially if the likes of Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk leave."