'Flying in with his agent' - Fabrizio Romano issues £20m transfer update for Ex-Brighton striker and Fulham target

Gyökeres, 25, was excellent for Coventry last term in the Championship and netted 21 goals from 41 starts, with 10 assists as the Sky Blues so nearly achieved promotion to the Premier League.

Coventry were painfully denied the riches of the top flight as they were narrowly beaten in the play-off final by Luton Town – who will be Brighton’s first opponent of the coming season on August 12 at the American Express Stadium.

It was a blow for Mark Robins’ team and they are now set to lose their top striker Gyökeres as he completes a move to Sporting Lisbon for around £20m. Gyökeres joined Brighton from IF Brommapojkarna in 2017 but the Sweden international was rarely given a chance to shine at the Seagulls. He made no appearances in the Premier League and his eight senior outings all came in the FA Cup and the Carabao.

Gyökeres had a loan spell at Swansea and then Coventry before the Sky Blues made the move permanent for around £1m in 2021, where he netted 43 goals in total from his two seasons at Coventry.

Importantly for Brighton, they reportedly added a sell-on clause and the Seagulls are set to bank 10 per cent of the expected £20m transfer fee when the deal to Sporting is signed off.

Gyökeres’ form in the second tier had attracted plenty of interest with Fulham, Everton, West Ham and Wolves all linked but it appears the Portuguese giants have made the decisive move.

Italian transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano posted: “Sporting will officially complete Viktor Gyökeres deal in the next hours as the player will fly from London to Lisbon with his agent Hasan Cetinkaya later today. He’ll be in Lisbon at 5pm local time by private jet to be unveiled as club record signing for €24m at Sporting.”