Gyokeres gets GLOWING Premier League reference amid €100m transfer rumours

Robin Bairner

• 1 Mar 2024 14:13 GMT
• 3 min read

New Sweden head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson has billed Premier League transfer target Viktor Gyokeres as a “great” talent.

Tomasson has taken charge of Sweden after their failure to qualify for Euro 2024 and faces the challenge of reconstructing a national team seeking heroes following the retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Along with Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Copenhagen’s highly rated 18-year-old Roony Bardghji, Gyokeres is one of the players expected to take the step up, with the Benfica striker being followed by numerous clubs around Europe at present.

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His club have slapped a price tag worth around €100 million on the player, according to reports.

Chelsea watched the 25-year-old turn in an impressive display against Benfica on Thursday, while Arsenal have been credited with a long-term interest in a player who only last summer stepped up to the elite level after playing in the Championship with Coventry.

Tomasson, who managed Blackburn until earlier this year, got a close look at the player in England and was impressed by what he witnessed.

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“He is one of the great Swedish players,” Tomasson said as he was presented to the media.

“I saw that last season in the Championship for Coventry. He was excellent and he has done really well in Portugal as well.

“He is not the only one. There are plenty of great players.”

Tomasson aiming for entertainment and glory

A former Newcastle and AC Milan forward with a wealth of experience as an international footballer with 112 caps for Denmark, Tomasson has said that he wants to make Sweden both successful and attractive.

“My job is to create an international football identity with an attacking mindset,” he said.

“It’s a challenge that I really love. I’m really looking forward to this journey with the fans.

“I want to create entertainment and success. Will I succeed in doing it tomorrow? No, it will take time.

“Patience will be needed and there will be bumps in the road, but the ultimate goals is to get there.”

Tomasson’s first match in charge of Sweden is a testing trip to face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on 21 March in Guimaraes.