Liverpool scout striker as Chelsea have £73M bid rejected for the next Robert Lewandowski

Liverpool and Newcastle United want to sign Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres and will be emboldened after seeing Chelsea's £73 million bid rejected.

The January transfer window is unlikely to see any incomings at Anfield but they have one eye on a move to sign the 25-year-old in the future.

This season, Gyokeres has bagged 22 goals and 10 assists as Sporting make a charge for the Primeira Liga title.

If they do win the title, the Swedish striker will be credited with the lion's share of the credit.

With that said, let's take a look at the latest reports, quotes from his manager and analysis of his game.

Reports: Premier League clubs eye move to sign Viktor Gyokeres

Viktor Gyokeres joined Sporting Lisbon in the summer transfer window for a lowly fee of £20 million which now seems to be a huge bargain,

Liverpool and Newcastle United had scouts in attendance at the Estadio Jose Alvalade as they witnessed the striker bag a hattrick of assists as Sporting punished Estoril 5-1, according to HITC.

Chelsea have now had a £73 million (€85M) bid rejected which Sporting's head coach Ruben Amorim says was immediately dismissed because it was "not enough."

Ruben Amorim explains why Chelsea bid was rejected

The 38-year-old coach says that the only way Sporting Lisbon will sell Gyokeres in the January transfer window is if his release clause is triggered.

The former Coventry City forward has an £85 million (€100M) release clause in his contract which should be enough to ward off interest this month.

Speaking to the press, Amorim said: “Obviously, I was informed of the news (of Chelsea’s offer). And as soon as they said 85 million euros, I thought ‘it’s not enough’.

“In the middle of the season, (Gyokeres) will only leave through the (release) clause. As we can’t control that, I feel I’m quite calm because we can’t do anything.

“Obviously we have to see the impact that Viktor has on the team, we would have to change a lot of things, and hence the management’s effort to only let out players that we can’t lose through the clause.

“I just heard the number, I thought it wasn’t enough and I moved on.”

Analysing Viktor Gyokeres 

Gyokeres is a simply fantastic player.

He's not just a poacher like other no.9s but can create, hold the ball up and in general is very good at linking play together.

It's no wonder the biggest clubs are interested in signing him as he would improve most sides at the moment.

Liverpool aren't in serious need of a new striker even if Darwin Nunez isn't yet an elite attacker. Chelsea and Newcastle have a greater need for a player of the Swede's ability.

All the same, this is how his strengths could take Liverpool's already stellar attack to a new level.

The stats behind the goals

From a total of 2,001 minutes of football this season, Gyokeres has 22 goals and 10 assists. Considering we've only just passed the halfway point for the 2023/24 season, that's outstanding.

Looking deeper, using data from Fbrefs, we can see just how truly remarkable the Swede really is.

He ranks in the 99th percentile for a number of notable stats, including assists by a forward, progressive carrries, touches in the opposition box, progressive passes received and successful take-ons that resulted in a shot.

In layman's terms, he's Jurgen Klopp's dream forward.

It might sound preposterous given the heights he has reached, but Gyokeres reminds me of a young Robert Lewandowski.

Not only is he lethal in front of goal and brilliant at linking play, he also does the hard work that is expected of an attacker in Liverpool's team.

He ranks in the 88th percentile of all forwards in Europe's top five leagues for ball recoveries, averaging 3.38 per game. For reference, Nunez ranks in the 55th percentile with 2.42 per game.

Gyokeres passes the “eye test”

Stats have become more and more important in the modern game as technology has developed but they don't tell the full story.

Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer of all time and while his overall stats are the best ever, they still don't truly demonstrate just how good he is.

That's not to say Gyokeres is anywhere near the level of the great Argentine but his style of play means stats can gloss over the more important aspects of his game.

A player's tenacity and determination cannot be plotted on a graph. The 25-year-old has excellent technique but it's his relentless desire to help Sporting Lisbon win games that truly impresses.

Beyond all that, it's safe to say he passes 'the eye test'.

Gyokeres is effective if not always the most aesthetically pleasing player to watch.

Does that matter if he's contributing over 30 goal contributions?

No, certainly not.

Despite being clunky at times, he is quickly turning into one of the finest centre-forwards in the world and whoever signs him will be getting one helluva player.