JUVENTUS have emerged as a shock candidate to hijack Viktor Gyokeres’ transfer to the Premier League, reports suggest.
The Swede is one of the most sought-after strikers on the planet after scoring 97 goals across the last two seasons for Sporting Lisbon and firing them to back-to-back league titles.
With the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United both looking to boost their firepower during the summer, it seemed to have put the Viking on a course for England.
However, according to Corriere dello Sport, Italian giants Juventus want to sign the 27-year-old to make a statement.
The report states Sporting are asking for £60million plus £8m in bonuses to sell Gyokeres, although that contradicts previous rumours indicating his release clause actually sat as high as £85m.
To finance this, the Serie A club have identified EIGHT names they will look to offload this summer to fund their spending spree.
Most notably, this includes Serbia ace Dusan Vlahovic, who scored 15 goals for Juventus last season.
The Bianconeri ranked seventh in the league last season for goals scored, and club chiefs believe Gyokeres can be the solution to their problems.
Another high-profile name on the chopping block is former Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz, who ultimately became a squad player following his arrival last summer.
The club want around £51m for the pair, considered surplus to requirements by coach Igot Tudor, who replaced the sacked Thiago Motta in March after just 10 months in charge.
Also in this list is goalkeeper Mattia Perin, defenders Lloyd Kelly and Daniele Rugani, wingers Filip Kostić and Samuel Mbangula, and forward Arkadiusz Milik.
This being said, they are with the Italian side for their participation in the Club World Cup in the United States ahead of their first match against Al Ain on Thursday.
But even if they fail to land Gyokeres, other options are being considered, including Jonathan David, Mateo Retegui and Victor Osimhen.
Gyokeres had rejected a move to Man Utd to reunite with Ruben Amorim, according to Portuguese media, which had paved the way for Arsenal to land Mikel Arteta’s first pure No.9.
Following talks with his agent, Arsenal submitted two bids of £55m and £60m for the striker, but saw both rejected by Sporting.
And after growing frustrated at the saga, the Gunners have parked those plans to re-open their enquiries into Aston Villa and England star Ollie Watkins.
Arsenal previously bid for Watkins in January, but the late nature of the move in the window and it falling short of Villa’s £80m valuation at the time saw the approach slapped down.
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