Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres has made the headlines since the start of 2024/25 and has been linked with practically every single European giant over the course of the last few months. With that said, the Premier League clubs seem best-placed to secure his signature in the upcoming summer’s transfer window with an exciting race in store.
Among a number of Sporting players this season, Gyokeres’ back-up, Conrad Harder, has also garnered interest from English sides with Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham leading the pack, according to Graeme Bailey on TBR Football. The London sides have been impressed by the 19-year-old, who has scored nine goals and provided six assists so far in the campaign.
Harder’s current employers seem resigned to losing the Danish teenager sooner rather than later and it has been speculated that a £42 million offer could be sufficient in pricing him away from the Sporting. A number of clubs in England are going to require strikers in the summer, not least the three Londoners in concern here, so an exciting battle could ensue.
West Ham may hold the advantage
Arsenal and Chelsea have shown a well-documented interest in various strikers lately while also investing in younger players from across Europe and South America. While Conrad Harder’s signing would not be a bad transfer for them by any means, they are likely to go for a more experienced option given their Premier League and Champions League ambitions in mind.
West Ham, on the other hand, need to replace an ageing Michail Antonio and an injury-prone Niclas Fullkrug, hence looking at Harder as a potential solution. The Sporting Lisbon striker, just over six feet tall, would be a perfect signing for them under Graham Potter. He could be a prodigy the Hammers invest in with a long-term view or a player they develop over the years with the hope of getting rid of him for a massive profit a few seasons down the line.
A £42 million investment would not pinch the club much either and it could be money brilliantly spent if Harder can replicate his numbers from the Portuguese league in England. It remains to be seen if there are any chances of getting a deal across the line in January or whether both, Sporting and Harder, prefer waiting until the summer before going separate ways.
