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Goal machine Gyökeres rubbishes talk of winter transfer

Viktor Gyökeres is the hottest property in football right now. Yesterday he bagged four goals in a match for the second time in 18 days, not to mention the small matter of a Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City in between.

He is scoring at a rate not seen in Europe since the heyday of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in La Liga, which has naturally triggered speculation about a potential move from Sporting to one of the world’s most high-profile clubs. But Gyökeres has pledged his immediate future to the Lisbon club. 

“I don’t attach importance to rumours about my future. I want to finish the season at Sporting,” the 26-year-old told Swedish reporters. “I’m enjoying my time there. I don’t feel any stress to make a move. We’ll see when the time comes for that.”

The recent departure of Sporting manager Rúben Amorim to Manchester United has not changed his thinking, although Gyökeres emphasised the importance of the coach for his ascension.

“It’s very sad he left, but of course we understand the decision. Obviously he meant a lot to me, he believed in me and helped me develop a lot. But now we’re looking forward to working with the new coach.”

Gyökeres scored four goals against Fernando Santos’ Azerbaijan last night to take his total for 2024/25 to a barely believable 32 goals in 23 games in all competitions for Sporting and Sweden.

By Tom Kundert