Viktor Gyokeres faces disciplinary action from Sporting CP after he failed to turn up to training on Saturday amid transfer interest from Arsenal.
The Sweden striker followed through on his threat to go on strike to force through a move to the Gunners. He was due back on Saturday, having been granted permission to delay his return.
Arsenal have been in talks to sign the 27-year-old, but have yet to come to an agreement on the terms of a £69 million (€80m) deal. Sporting reportedly want an initial fee of £60.4m, plus £8.6m in add-ons.
Viktor Gyokeres faces punishment over Arsenal transfer ploy
The relationship between the player and the club began to breakdown after Sporting president Frederico Varandas last month denied the existence of a gentlemen’s agreement to allow Gyokeres leave for £59.3m.
Varandas says that the forward’s actions make a potential sale “more complicated”, but insists that he will be welcomed back to the fold provided he pays a large fine and apologises to the team.
“We’re calm,” he said. “Everything can be solved with the closure of the market, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.
“If they don’t want to pay Viktor’s fair market value, we’ll be very comfortable with that for the next three years.
“If the geniuses who are devising this strategy think that this puts pressure on me to make it easier for him to leave, not only are they completely wrong, but they are also making it more complicated for the player to leave. No one is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are.”
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