Chelsea may have made mistake not signing £84m man in absolutely red-hot form

Chelsea may have made a major transfer mistake in overlooking Viktor Gyokeres while scouring the market for attacking reinforcements.

The Blues splashed the cash over the summer on a host of new signings, acquiring the services of Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Joao Felix to bolster their attacking ranks alongside youngster Marc Guiu.

However, Chelsea saw the transfer window close before they could address one of their biggest priorities: signing a world-class No. 9. The Blues were insistent on signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli but failed to strike an agreement with the Nigeria international over personal terms, with those talks running into the final hours of deadline day.

The failed pursuit has led many to question why Chelsea did not divert their attention to alternatives sooner in the window, especially now that Gyokeres has hit the ground running in the 2024/25 campaign.

The Sweden international was linked with the Blues over the summer after a stellar season that saw him emerge as one of the best strikers in Europe, bagging 43 goals and assisting another 14 in 50 appearances in all competitions.

The ex-Coventry City has since picked up where he left off. His release clause of £84million could quickly look like a bargain if he opts to put pen to paper with Sporting on a new contract which may see that exit clause removed.

Gyokeres has scored eight and assisted five for club and country so far this season, and his rise is showing no signs of slowing.

He scored one and bagged a brace of assists in Sweden’s 3-1 win over Azerbaijan on Thursday evening, and he will be hoping to highlight, once more, what his suitors missed out on when he faces Estonia on Sunday.