Coventry City

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

If any team hopes to bolster their attack in the January or summer transfer window then Sporting Lisbon's number nine Viktor Gyokeres has to be in the conversation.

Following Tuesday's hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League, Gyokeres is the joint leading scorer in this season's most elite European competition with Harry Kane and has scored 66 goals in 67 matches for the reigning Primeira Liga champions.

The sceptics, who have argued the standard of football in Portugal is not that of Premier League, are likely to have been silenced by the striker's performance against the often dubbed 'best team in the world.'

So if the Sweden international is to be snapped up by an English club, where could he go?

Well, Gyokeres is not going to be cheap so it will have to be a club with long-term ambition and deep pockets. The 26-year-old is believed to have a release clause of 100m euros (£83m) despite only signing from Coventry City in 2023 for a fee close to £20m in 2023.

Premier League clubs were linked to Gyokeres while he was at the Championship club but it was Sporting who seized the opportunity to sign him.

And now Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are the English clubs that are linked with his name in the daily gossip pages.

The most obvious choice would be to follow head coach Ruben Amorim to Old Trafford. However, with the club already owning Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Antony it is unlikely they would sign Gyokeres without selling at least one.

Plus, it was Dan Ashworth - the current sporting director of United - that sold Gyokeres to Coventry for just £1m in 2021 from former club Brighton.

United's neighbours Manchester City could view Gyokeres as a long-term replacement for Erling Haaland should he leave the Etihad, and Sporting's director Hugo Viana may want to re-sign his Sporting star when he succeeds the outgoing Txiki Begiristain.

Liverpool could also be in the market if Mohamed Salah does not sign a new contract and departs Anfield after eight years next summer.

Chelsea, who have three strikers, have proven they like to spend big in recent transfer windows but it is their rivals in North London that appear to be the most obvious fit.

Fans and pundits have long said that Arsenal need a number nine.

Mikel Arteta's side would be formidable with a striker like Gyokeres and would be strong contenders in the league and Europe if he could replicate his form there.

"I could see that," columnist Nedum Onuoha told BBC Sport. "From the style of play that I have seen from him and the intelligence he has, he is a handful.

"If he comes to England then it is important to note that he is simply coming back because he has already got experience playing here and he knows the physical level required. He comes across as very coachable so in an Arsenal system it could really work for him and them.

"That is on the assumption that he is the sort of player that the Gunners are looking for."

In the meantime Gyokeres will no doubt continue to add to his price tag by doing what he does best - scoring.

Image source, BBC Sport

Coventry City won consecutive games for the first time this season with a 3-0 victory at Middlesbrough on Saturday and are unbeaten in three (W2 D1) following a run of just one win in nine before that.

Derby County have won just one of their last eight games (D3 L4) and are without a victory in four following a 2-1 defeat at Stoke last time out. The Rams have also failed to win away from home so far this season.

• Three of the last four league meetings between Coventry and Derby have ended as draws, with the Sky Blues winning the other 1-0.

• Derby County have lost nine of their last 13 away league meetings against Coventry (W2 D2).

• None of Coventry's last 14 home league games have ended in a draw (W6 L8), and they could win successive such games for the first time since December 2023.

• Each of Derby's last four midweek league matches have been away from home, with three of the four ending in a draw (L1).

• Derby's Jerry Yates has netted three goals in his last four league appearances against Coventry, though failed to score in his last away league game against the Sky Blues while at Swansea in December 2023.

Image source, Getty Images

You may have already noticed a different layout and feel to your Coventry City club page - a fresh revamp for our coverage of all Championship teams.

On this page, BBC Sport will serve up a bespoke club service, complete with the latest news and analysis on everything Sky Blues.

If you are on the app, don't miss a beat by tapping the bell icon and signing up for news notifications.

And if you are on a browser, tap 'Follow' at the top to ensure the best content is always at your fingertips.