Rangers might not have expected to find themselves impacted by a potential £20 million move from one of the giants of the Portuguese Primeira Liga but the transfer window works in weird and wonderful ways at times.
Sporting Lisbon, A Bola say, have now agreed a five-year contract with Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres. Agreeing a fee, meanwhile, is proving a little more difficult. The beaten Championship play-off finalists want at least £20 million, while Sporting are offering £16 million.
But with the Lisbon giants going public with their pursuit of the piston-legged Sweden international, Coventry, it seems they are not going to accept defeat so easily.
“My coach (Ruben Amorim) said at the end of the season that he intends to look for a striker,” explains Sporting president Federico Varandas. “We will try.
“Gyokeres? He’s one of the players mentioned.”
Rangers impacted by Sporting Lisbon pursuit
But where do Rangers come into all this?
Well, as the Coventry Telegraph point out, one of the leading candidates to replace Gyokeres – and that is easier said than done (the Swede is not just a prolific goalscorer but arguably the most complete centre-forward in the whole of the EFL) – is none other than Blackpool’s Jerry Yates.
A player Rangers have also been watching closely; sending scouts to watch Yates on at least two occasions in the spring. The late-blooming workhorse is still valued at around £4 million despite Blackpool’s relegation last season, with West Brom seeing a £2.5 million bid rejected (Sun).
The good news is that such a fee is likely to be within Rangers’ reach.
Especially given reports suggesting that Mick Beale’s side were willing to stump up a similar sum for Cremonese’s Cyriel Dessers before it emerged that the former Feyenoord talisman was leaning towards joining Torino instead.
Dessers is just one of a number of striker targets who are proving difficult for Rangers to snare. Matija Frigan and Nikola Krstovic have both played rumours of a move to Ibrox. BK Hacken have rejected their opening bid for Benie Traore too. Petar Ratkov, meanwhile, has now joined Red Bull Salzburg.
And the bad news is that, if Coventry suddenly find themselves with a cool £20 million burning a hole in Sky Blues pockets, there is a very real danger that Yates will go the same way.
