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Arsenal could face Viktor Gyokeres' former club Sporting CP in the Champions League should the Gunners beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 16 this month
Arsenal forward Viktor Gyokeres could be set for an awkward reunion with former club Sporting CP in the Champions League - seven months since his exit from the Portuguese club.
Gyokeres, 27, joined Sporting from Coventry City in July 2023 and ended up spending two years in Lisbon, scoring a staggering 97 goals in 102 matches and winning two Primeira Liga titles.
But Gyokeres caused a stir when he pushed to leave Sporting for Arsenal last summer. Reports had claimed that the there was a gentleman's agreement in place for the Sweden international to depart the club at the end of the 2024/25 season for much less than his £85million release clause.
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However, Sporting president Frederico Varandas hit back and revealed no promises were made to Gyokeres about letting him leave. "One thing is that you should already know me better," he said.
"Threats, blackmail and insults don't work with me. I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for €60+€10m (in add-ons) because I never promised him that.
When asked if there were any offers for €60m (£52m), Varandas added: "To this day, Sporting has not had an offer for Viktor Gyokeres, neither today nor last season. He is a fantastic professional, to this day he has had zero offers. He has a three-year contract with Sporting."
Sporting then opted to increase his valuation from €60m (£50m) plus €10m (£8m) in add-ons to €80m (£67.7m) - a decision that left Gyokeres 'angered' as he tried to secure a move.
With Gyokeres frustrated, he took to social media to address his future, saying on Instagram: "There's a lot of talk at the moment, most of it is false. I will speak when the time is right."
While Manchester United and Juventus were among the others interested in Gyokeres, he made it clear he wanted to make the move to the Emirates Stadium. Indeed, the former Brighton man failed to turn up to pre-season training at Sporting in an attempt to force through a transfer.
And, after a long drawn out saga, Gyokeres' move to Arsenal was sealed on July 26, five days before the Gunners went head-to-head with Tottenham in Hong Kong. He signed for Mikel Arteta's side on a long-term contract for a fee worth in the region of £55m plus £8.5m in add-ons.
Sporting midfielder Pedro Goncalves didn't hold back on his assessment and said at the time he was glad to see the back of the "unnecessary" noise around Gyokeres regarding a move to Arsenal.
He told O Jogo: "I wasn't hurt. I wished him the best of luck. I said, 'Finally'. This whole thing wasn't necessary, in my opinion... but that's football.
"I wished him the best of luck, and he said thank you. And that's it. He had to leave, and others came."
Meanwhile, Sporting CP head coach Rui Borges gave his own take on Gyokeres' departure, echoing the sentiments that Goncalves shared. He said: "I haven't spoken yet, but I may speak to thank everyone for everything.
"Hurt? No. Honestly, I wasn't hurt. That's football. It's part of football. There are arrivals and departures. We have to know how to deal with it. We have to readjust all the time. He was a very important player, not only this season.
"I wish him the best of luck in the world, he marked an era in our football. He will be missed in his own way. We will have other players. We will continue to be competitive. Players come and go, but the club remains. Others will come in and become great and better and better."
Now, less than a year later, Gyokeres could be about to face Sporting for the first time since his fractious departure. Should Arsenal progress past Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League Round of 16, the Gunners would face either Sporting or Bodo/Glimt in the quarter-final.
As Sporting qualified for the Champions League knockout phase via a seventh-place finish in the league phase, they are the favourites - like Arsenal - to progress past Bodo and into the last eight.
If Sporting and Arsenal both win in the Round of 16, they would face each other in a two-legged tie in mid-April, giving Gyokeres his first return to the Estadio Jose Alvalade following his exit.
Gyokeres made his competitive Arsenal debut in the 1-0 win at Manchester United on the opening weekend before scoring his first two goals for the club in a 5-0 thrashing of Leeds a week later.
Although the striker has been subject to some criticism at times for his performances this season, he has started to find some form in recent weeks. The 27-year-old has five goals in his last five Premier League appearances and grabbed a brace in last Sunday's 4-1 win against Tottenham in the North London Derby.
He will be hoping to continue that recent up-turn when Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. The Gunners are aiming to restore their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after Manchester City's win at Leeds United on Saturday.
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