Viktor Gyokeres 'goes on strike' to force transfer with four clubs left in race to sign Sporting striker

Viktor Gyokeres has reportedly decided to 'go on strike' to force Sporting to allow him to leave the club during the upcoming summer transfer window.

Despite the first transfer window of the summer closing on Tuesday, rumours surrounding the future of Sporting star Gyokeres are still circulating, with the striker linked with several clubs across Europe.

The transfer window will once again open on Monday 16 June, and when it does, Gyokeres is reportedly eager to make a move as soon as possible after deciding that his time with Sporting is over.

But now, it has been reported that he has taken this desire to leave one step further, deciding to 'go on strike' until the Portuguese club can agree a deal for him to move in the coming weeks.

Viktor Gyokeres has been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Juventus this summer. (Image: Getty)

According to Portuguese newspaper Record, Gyokeres has now told Sporting manager Rui Borges and other club officials that he will never play for the club or wear a Sporting jersey again in a bid to force them to sell him.

His frustration is said to have been caused by the club's inactivity in pursuing his sale after coming to a gentleman's agreement over his departure back in September.

Despite the fact that he has a release clause set at €100million, Sporting reportedly promised the Swedish international that he could leave for around €60m plus €10m in bonus payments should an offer come in.

However, a report from SportWitness has claimed that Hasan Cetinkaya, Gyokeres' agent, informed Sporting that the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus and Al-Hilal had all expressed an interest in paying this money, they went back on their word.

Instead of reassuring that Sporting would accept a €60m bid, the club’s general director Bernardo Palmeiro told him that the cost for the 27-year-old forward had been set at €80m.

Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 appearances last season. (Image: Getty)

And it is exactly this disagreement that has led to Gyokeres' anger and his decision to tell his current club that he will not be returning for preseason, and that he would even consider leaving his holiday early to speak publicly about the situation.

Despite the interest from several clubs, none of them have made an official approach for Gyokeres yet, with them likely waiting for the current dispute between his agent and Sporting to be resolved before formalising their interest.