Ahead of the summer mercato, talk is rife about which striker AC Milan will select to be Olivier Giroud’s heir. Today, a journalist has offered some insight into Viktor Gyokeres’ time in Portugal, given he remains a strong name in contention for the position.
There are many factors that Milan will have to take into account when signing their next striker – the biggest one, without a doubt, is the cost. Yesterday, a report revealed that Milan will have a base budget of €35 million for their signings, a figure which is significantly less than what Sporting are expected to want for Gyokeres.
However, they have a significant ace to play, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede, expectedly, is admired by the Sporting striker, and the club believe that he could play an important role in negotiations and could impact where Gyokeres joins in the summer, even if the Rossoneri are unable to offer as much as the interested Premier League clubs can.
Journalist Miguel Mendes spoke to MilanNews about the impact Gyokeres has had in Portugal whilst offering some insight into his traits.
Did you expect this performance from Gyokeres? Only a year ago, he was playing in the English second division…
“I didn’t expect it because we are probably talking about the player who has had the biggest impact on a Portuguese club in the last 20 years. And it is not just a few goals that have transformed Sporting. The whole team has improved, much more threatening, physically strong and offensive. It was the most expensive recruitment in the club’s history, but there are others that have been more expensive than not.
“Gyökeres is a Portuguese world footballer, everyone admires him, even his rivals. He is the figure of the league, without a doubt, and one of the figures of Portuguese football in recent years.”
What are the characteristics that have most caught your eye?
“Clearly the goals, his coolness under goal, the fact that he does not feel the weight of responsibility. Physically he is an ‘animal’, like few others in European football. And in my opinion with above-average technical qualities.”
In what should he still improve?
“Definitely in the aerial game, also because someone of his size could have this characteristic in his ropes. Overall, I consider him a complete striker, who integrates well with the whole team. He has the ability to improve the game of the whole team because he has a lot of depth in attack and is very strong in physical encounters.”
He has a 100 million rescission clause. Do you think Sporting will stick to this price, or will they be willing to negotiate?
“Given the importance he has in the team and the club, it is not easy to negotiate much below 100 million. There is a certainty that it will be one of the club’s biggest transfers, that’s for sure. That’s why I don’t see Sporting negotiating for less than 80 million, for example.”
Will Sporting have the strength to keep him if the 100 million doesn’t arrive?
“It depends a lot on what the team manages to do until the end of the season. Sporting wants to be champions and being in the Champions League is something the player would like to try, having never played there. Sporting has other players to make money from, such as Goncalo Inácio or Diomande, so selling Gyökeres will certainly not be a priority.
“That’s why it wouldn’t be surprising if he stayed more than a year without a proposal close to 100 million being made.”
He is a market target for AC Milan. Do you think he could be a suitable player for the Rossoneri?
“He is a different player, who can play for any big team in Europe. A born scorer, by force of nature and despite it being a more tactical and less physical league, I think he would score a lot of goals. I would see him more in the Premier League, it is true, but he clearly has the qualities to play in a club like AC Milan.”
If Milan actually has a base summer budget of only 35 million then one of Theo, Maignan, Leao, are def gone.
my top target goes to Jonathan David because of his accuracy
Pavlidis is the real deal, better than all these strikers we’re linked with.